Personen i fokus! En studie i hur individens roll på dagspressens förstasidor har förändrats under de senaste 50 åren
The person in focus ? A study of the changing role of individuals? on the newspaper?sfront pages over the last 50 yearsWritten by: Victor Kennmark, Fredrik Palmqvist & Anders WollnerBachelor?s degree of JournalismDepartment of Journalism, Media and CommunicationAutumn term 2013University of GothenburgOur purpose with this study is to examine if and how the person-centeredness and personalizationhas changed on the front pages in the four biggest newspapers in Sweden over the last five decades;1962-2012. Our angle is to look at the changes to see if the tabloidization, commercialization, andmarketization having a bigger impact on our media landscape, and media content, in current yearscompared to earlier years.We have used both Swedish and international studies and theories. When it comes tocommercialization we have mainly focused on studies by Ingela Wadbring, and Sigurd Allern. Wehave used Sigurd Allern?s, Ingela Wadbring?s and Josefine Sternvik's theories on tabloidization.We?ve also include Marina Ghersetti?s theories about sensational journalism, personalization andnews values. For the theories about medialization, personalization and agenda setting we?ve usedJesper Strömbäck?s studies. Ulrika Andersson and Jenny Wiik?s theories about marketization is alsoincluded in our study.The study has carried out in a quantative content analysis, by coding 1788 articles and using 16different variables. We have examined four different newspapers, two tabloids ? Aftonbladet andExpressen, and two morning papers ? Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet. These are the fourbiggest newspapers in terms of a national distribution. !Aftonbladet and Expressen has used the tabloid format since before 1962, but Dagens Nyheter andSvenska Dagbladet converted to the tabloid format in 2004, and 2000. We saw a significant increasein personalization after the two morning papers changed their format.Our results also shows that both person-centeredness and personalization having a bigger and morecrucial part overall on the biggest newspapers front pages in 2012 than in 1962 if we see in terms ofhow the newspapers uses personalization. The amount of personalization is bigger, but not thatnoticeable. Instead we can see a big change in how the individuals are described on the front pages.In short: it?s more about the individuals as persons instead of the individuals as representatives.Another significant change can be seen in how the newspapers use the pictures and the amount ofpictures that is being used. In the earlier front pages that we?ve studied there is a lot of body textand smaller pictures, not necessarily with people in them. On the front pages of today it?s moreheadliners and bigger pictures, usually with the person in focus.