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European Journal of Communication
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An Anatomy of Media Hypes

Developing a Model for the Dynamics and Structure of Intense Media Coverage of Single Issues

Charlotte Wien

Centre of Journalism, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark, chw{at}sam.sdu. dk

Christian Elmelund-Præstekær

Department of Political Science and Public Management at the University of Southern Denmark

{blacksquare}Media hypes are a well known phenomenon. They occur on a regular basis and attract much media attention, but there is very little knowledge about them. This article supplements Vasterman's analysis of the phenomenon and presents new empirical evidence. Through a case study of five Danish media hypes occurring between 2000 and 2005, the article shows that not every event has the potential to trigger a media hype: it must, of course, satisfy the general news values, but should also contain some violation of norms, be suitable for public debate and, finally, it must be possible for the media to cover the event from a variety of perspectives. Concerning the structure and dynamics of the media hype, the article concludes that media hypes begin with a trigger event, they last approximately three weeks and come in several, usually three, waves of decreasing intensity. {blacksquare}

Key Words: journalistic practice • media hype • news values • social problems

European Journal of Communication, Vol. 24, No. 2, 183-201 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0267323108101831
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