Presidendikandidaatide representatsioon 2001. aasta trükimeedias ja nende imago valijameeste hulgas
Date
2005
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Abstract
Description
The main objective of this Master’s thesis was to examine the representation
of four presidential candidates who made it to the electoral body at the 2001
presidential elections - Peeter Tulviste, Toomas Savi, Peeter Kreitzberg and
Arnold Rüütel – in the Estonian printed press during the period from 1st
January to 21st
September 2001, and their image among electors, and also
what were the criteria based on which the electors made their decision. Pierre
Bourdieu’s theory of fields and capitals was used in the justification of the
electors’ decision.
The Master’s thesis analysed the articles written on the presidential candidates
that were published in Eesti Päevaleht, Postimees, SL Õhtuleht, Äripäev, Eesti
Eksprss and Maaleht. All in all, 557 articles were selected in the sample. Both
quantitative and qualitative survey methods were used in analysing the press.
With the help of a written interview that was conducted among electors (190
electors out of 365 responded) immediately after presidential elections, an
attempt was made to find out what the candidates’ image among the electors
was, whether the media dealt eqaually with all candidates and what the criteria
based on which the electors elected the president were. The representation of
the presidential candidates in the printed press was compared with the
candidates’ image among the electors.
The Master’s thesis raised a hypothesis that before the 2001 presidential
elections clear preferences with regard to some presidential candidates became
evident in the Estonian writing press, i.e. the newspapers described some
candidates in a more positive way and to a larger extent than the others. It was
presumed that the representation of presidential candidates in the media did
not affect the electors’ decision, as they based their decision on other criteria.
In the course of the survey, the hypothesis that clear preferences with regard to
some presidential candidates were evident in the Estonian writing press was
confirmed. Primarily Peeter Tulviste, as in the media’s opinion the only
worthy successor of President Lennart Meri, was described in a more positive
way and to a larger extent. This was most notable in case of Eesti Päevaleht.
The survey also found that all printed publications, except for Maaleht,
preferred the triple alliance candidates, that is, in addition to Tulviste also
Savi, although with regard to the latter the press was more critical. Peeter
Kreitzberg and Arnold Rüütel were not considered serious candidates,
therefore considerably less was written about them.
The hypothesis that the representation of presidential candidates in the media
did not affect the electors’ decision was also confirmed, as they based their
decision on other criteria. On the basis of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory, the
decisive factor in the election of Arnold Rüütel as the president was the fact
that Rüütel had in addition to symbolic and political capital the greatest
amount of social capital, especially concerning the compostion of the
electoral body in question.
Keywords
H Social Sciences (General), magistritööd