TELEVISION AS ARSONIST - THE SPREAD OF RIGHT-WING VIOLENCE IN GERMANY

This article deals with the role of television in the spread of violen ce against foreigners and asylum seekers in the united Germany. After each of the four most violent riots and arson attacks, the Federal Bur eau of Criminal Investigation observed dramatic increases of xenophobi c assaults. Using time series analysis, the results of this article sh ow that television played a critical role in the spread of racial viol ence. The article provides an escalation model of how violence is diff used. The model links aspects of reality public concern, motivational status of perpetrators and type of television coverage. A combination of suggestive-imitative theory and priming turns out to be the most ap propriate theoretical concept to explain the results.