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[Hard Cover/ Ring – Front Page] CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Institute of International Studies Department of North American Studies Master's Thesis 2020 Tomáš Linhart 1 CHARLES UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES Institute of International Studies Department of North American Studies Portrayal of Journalists in Netflix´ Series "House of Cards" Master's Thesis Author: Tomáš Linhart Study programme: International Area Studies Supervisor: Mgr. Jana Sehnálková, Ph.D. Year of the defence: 2020 2 Declaration 1. I hereby declare that I have compiled this thesis using the listed literature and resources only. 2. I hereby declare that my thesis has not been used to gain any other academic title. 3. I fully agree to my work being used for study and scientific purposes. In Prague on May 21, 2020 Tomáš Linhart 3 References LINHART, Tomáš. Portrayal of Journalists in Netflix´ Series "House of Cards." Praha, 2020. 125 pages. Master’s thesis (Mgr.). Charles University, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of International Studies. Department of North American Studies. Supervisor Mgr. Jana Sehnálková, Ph.D. Length of the thesis: 264 572 characters. 4 Abstract This thesis examined the contemporary U.S. popular culture, specifically the Netflix series House of Cards, and the analysis was focused on the representation of the media reality portrayed in the first two seasons of the series. The credibility of given model situations or their exaggeration is examined based on thirteen research interviews with Czech and American journalists in March, April, and May 2020. The public trust in media, the influence of popular culture on mass society, specifics and ethics of investigative journalism, and broadly the representation of media in cinematography were presented in the first part. The analysis of the portrayal of journalists and media in the series and research interviews with experts followed. The main objective of this research was to evaluate the credibility of the portrayal of journalists. The secondary research question was focused on the public trust in media and the potential harm that the depiction in culture might cause. The views of Czech and American journalists on the portrayal of media in popular culture and the discussion about their diverse opinions are the primary asset of this thesis. The results prove that the perception of ethics and journalistic behaviour in given specific situations differ individually. Therefore, aspects such as nationality, gender, experience, or the field of specialisation cannot be fully applied in this research to explain the findings. However, the research questions can be answered relatively decisively. Based on the interviews with 13 Czech and American experts, it seems that the portrayal of journalists in House of Cards is exaggerated and distorts reality. Also, such a depiction could, according to the research results, to a certain extent, impact the public perception of journalists. The majority of respondents are convinced that the depiction of media in popular culture could influence the public trust in media. Half of the interviewees believed that specifically the series House of Cards could cause harm to real journalists by its depiction of the profession. Only a minority did not ascribe any effect to the portrayal. Abstrakt Tato diplomová práce se věnuje současné americké popkultuře, konkrétně seriálu House of Cards. Analytická část práce je zaměřena na reprezentaci mediální reality v prvních dvou řadách seriálu. Zkoumá věrohodnost či zkreslení vybraných postav a modelových situací na základě třinácti výzkumných rozhovorů s českými i americkými novináři, které byly provedeny v průběhu března, dubna a května 2020. V první části práce je rozebrána důvěra 5 veřejnosti v média, vliv popkultury na masovou společnost, specifika a etika investigativní žurnalistiky a obecně zobrazení médií v kinematografii. Ve druhé části následuje samotná analýza provedených výzkumných rozhovorů. Hlavním cílem výzkumu bylo zhodnotit věrohodnost zobrazení novinářů v seriálu, vedlejší výzkumná otázka mířila na to, jakým způsobem může jisté zobrazení novinářů v popkultuře teoreticky ublížit reálným novinářům. Nejdůležitějším přínosem této práce jsou originální a mnohdy nesouhlasné náhledy českých a amerických novinářů na seriál jako takový a na zobrazení novinářů. Výsledky výzkumu prokazují, že vnímání etického novinářského chování je výlučně individuální záležitostí, v níž se ukazuje, že aspekty jako národnost, pohlaví, zkušenosti či zaměření nehrají příliš důležitou roli. Výzkumné otázky však i přesto mohou být relativně jednoznačně zodpovězeny. Na základě analýzy rozhovorů se třinácti vybranými odborníky se zdá, že obraz novinářů v seriálu House of Cards je přehnaný a převrací realitu. Navíc takovéto zobrazení může dle získaných poznatků do jisté míry ovlivnit náhled veřejnosti na novináře. Většina respondentů je přesvědčena, že vyobrazení médií v popkultuře může hrát roli v tom, jak veřejnost tuto profesi vnímá, a přesně polovina expertů se domnívá, že konkrétní vliv může mít přímo tento daný seriál. Keywords Journalists, House of Cards, popular culture, portrayal, credibility, distortion, media, public trust Klíčová slova Novinář, House of Cards, populární kultura, obraz, věrohodnost, zkreslení, média, důvěra veřejnosti Title Portrayal of Journalists in Netflix´ Series "House of Cards" Název práce Obraz novinářů v americkém seriálu House of Cards 6 Acknowledgement I would like to express my gratitude, especially to the dearest Mgr. Jana Sehnálková, Ph.D., for all her priceless advice, numerous consultations, assistance, flexibility, and infinite tolerance. Furthermore, I am grateful to my beloved family for the immense support during the uneasy quarantine writing months; to Lucie Kýrová, M.A., Ph.D., for permitting me to terminate my studies and for her valued expertise; to doc. Mgr. Jakub Macek, Ph.D., for a brief, yet fruitful consultation; to Mgr. Tereza Vicková, for the streaming facilitation and supportive feedback; to all the 13 respondents who reserved their time to provide a unique insight into the perception of the portrayal of journalists; and finally, as this study is analysing popular culture at the Department of North American Studies, to the California band Hollywood Undead, whose music accelerated my concentration incessantly throughout spring 2020. I would also like to thank the whole Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, for providing me all the invaluable knowledge in both fields of study to make this thesis possible. 7 Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................ 8 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 10 2. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................................................. 14 3. THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS TO STUDY HOUSE OF CARDS, THE PORTRAYAL OF JOURNALISTS AND ITS POTENTIAL IMPACT ............................................................................ 18 3.1 Public Trust in Media ......................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Influence of Popular Culture on Mass Society ................................................................... 25 3.2.1 Development of Theory on Linkages Between Media and Popular Culture ....................... 28 3.2.2 Cultivation Theory .............................................................................................................. 31 3.2.3 Representation of Reality .................................................................................................... 32 3.2.4 Agenda Setting .................................................................................................................... 34 3.3 Investigative Journalism and Ethics ................................................................................... 35 3.3.1 Specifics of Investigative Journalism .................................................................................. 35 3.3.2 Journalistic Ethics .............................................................................................................. 38 3.4 Media in Cinematography .................................................................................................. 40 4. JOURNALISTS IN HOUSE OF CARDS AND THE ANALYSIS OF THEIR PORTRAYAL .... 43 4.1 House of Cards Overview, Synopsis, and Acclaim ............................................................. 43 4.1.1 House of Cards Leading Characters .................................................................................. 46 4.1.2 Key Journalistic Characters ............................................................................................... 48 4.2 The Portrayal of Journalists and Media in House of Cards ............................................... 50 4.2.1 Model Situations ................................................................................................................. 50 5. THE PERCEPTION OF CZECH AND AMERICAN PROFESSIONALS OF THE PORTRAYAL OF JOURNALISTS IN HOUSE OF CARDS .................................................... 53 5.1 Selection of Interviewees .................................................................................................... 53 5.2 Perception of the Portrayed Journalists in House of Cards – General Comments ...........
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