ELECTRONIC JOURNALISM IN SEGMENTED SOCIETIES - LESSONS FROM THE 1996 ISRAELI ELECTIONS

A study of the part played by the media in the 1996 elections in Israe l reflects on the evolution of new practices of electronic journalism in segmenting democracies. Contrary to prevailing perceptions about th e direct barrages of television influences-such as spot advertising, a nd the televisual promotion of politicians-we show the following: (1) By making it their job to challenge the rhetoric of political advertis ing, journalists now reduce the effectiveness of the political campaig n on television. (2) At the same time, recent news coverage, especiall y stories that are treated as ''disaster marathons,'' maximize televis ion journalists' tendency toward melodramatic coverage, thus creating an atmosphere that undermines the public's ability to form a considere d opinion.(3) Recent developments of identity politics cause national television gradually to lose its function as the common public sphere for the various factions of society, shifting the public debate to mul ticultural public ''spherecules,'' operating in alternative, community media. (4) Whereas nationwide television is pushed to emotional titil lation as it competes for the attention of viewers as consumers, commu nity media, expected to appeal to the emotions of their audiences as m embers of the collectivity, also carry out a lively, ideological (thou gh partisan), debate. During the Israeli elections, it was the coverag e of disaster, not the frontal influences of television, that determin ed the voting patterns. Moreover, the community media of the various c ultural enclaves were more effective than nationwide media in carrying out the admittedly fragmented political debate, and in mobilizing vot ers.