The present study took an actor-based approach to explain news differentiation in terrorism coverage. Actors were defined as non-Muslim sources, Muslim sources, and journalists. Actors who generate undifferentiated statements actively link Muslims to terrorism, whereas actors who use differentiated statements explicitly distinguish Muslims from terrorism. We examined actorspecific, media-specific, and event-specific predictors of differentiation using a quantitative content analysis in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland, 2015-2017 (12 quality/tabloid newspapers, N = 1071 articles). Results reveal that non-Muslim sources and journalists are more likely to make undifferentiated statements and less likely to make differentiated statements compared to Muslim sources. This gap between Muslim sources on the one side and non-Muslim sources as well as journalists on the other side is more accentuated for severe terroristic attacks and for articles mentioning dead and injured victims. For differentiated statements, the gap is also more pronounced in tabloid newspapers as compared to quality newspapers.

The #MeToo movement has restarted an extensive and worldwide debate about sexual harassment especially directed against women. When women publicly accuse an alleged perpetrator they often do so with a strong delay and frequently come forward with allegations years after a harassment occurred. Yet, we lack research on how news about delayed sexual harassment accusations affect victim blaming. Drawing from construal level theory and attribution theory, we experimentally tested how participants react to news about a victim's delayed accusation (harassment occurred years ago), nondelayed accusation (harassment occurred days ago), or accusations with no time cue. Findings showed that delayed accusations resulted in the attribution of negative motives toward the victim. Negative motives, in turn, increased victim blaming.

We examined how Muslims are depicted in connection with Islamist terrorism and to what extent journalists use undifferentiated coverage – that actively links Muslims to terrorism – and differentiated coverage that actively differentiates Muslims from terrorism. Drawing from research in journalism studies and from terror management theory, we examined media-specific and event-specific predictors using a quantitative content analysis (12 quality/tabloid newspapers from three countries, N = 1071 articles). Results reveal that undifferentiated coverage occurs in almost every other article. Differentiation occurs much less. Tabloids use undifferentiated and differentiated coverage in fact-oriented and opinion-oriented articles. Quality news only do so in opinion-oriented articles. Proximity of a terror event resulted in more undifferentiated and less differentiated coverage. Results have important implications for journalism practice, terrorism research and intergroup relations.

The COVID-19 pandemic is one of the biggest crises of the 21st century. This paper investigates the role of reactance-based perceptions of threatening government communication on (1) attitudinal outcomes regarding acceptance of the COVID-19 health protection measures and (2) behavioral outcomes regarding adherence to the COVID-19 measures. From a theoretical perspective, reactance theory suggests that subjectively detecting (a) one-sidedness, (b) fear appeals, (c) discreditation, and (d) overload in government communication might lead to less acceptance and adherence of the health protective measures. Using an Austrian two-wave panel survey (N = 911) collected in August and October 2020, the hereby proposed main effects were supported by applying a Structural Equation Model (SEM). This emphasizes the importance of sensitive government health communication in order to avoid reactant attitudes and behavior, since acceptance and adherence to the COVID-19 measures help combat this pandemic and can possibly decrease fatality rates. Further implications are discussed.