Viskleken - Från media till mottagare

Sammanfattning

In recent years whistleblowing has increased. At the same time, the hybrid media culture has allowed whistleblowers to further participate in, and influence narratives. Previous research demonstrates both the increased impact of whistleblowers and the relevance of the two-step flow model in the hybrid media landscape. What is not investigated, however, is the relationship between whistleblowers' information distribution and the two-step flow of communication model. Through the media narrative, whistleblowers can interfere with, and thus influence perception of a crisis situation. The following study will, through a qualitative content- and narrative analysis, examine this claim. The material consists of text excerpts from both mass media and Twitter. The purpose of this is to get an overview of how the hybrid media culture works when narratives with whistleblowers as key actors are developed, as well as how narratives can influence the public's perception of a crisis situation. The analysis examines what narratives exist of the whistleblowers in the Macchiarini case through three time periods. Crucial events that affect the narrative are also mapped. The analysis subsequently examines the role of whistleblowers in the development of the narrative. Finally, the study's conclusions are presented showing that whistleblowers cannot be defined as opinion leaders according to the two-step flow model, but that they have a crucial role in the development of the narrative. Further the study suggests that users on Twitter can be defined as opinion leaders, as they share information presented by the whistleblowers via the mass media, directly to their followers.