Redaktionsarbeit zwischen Struktur und Handlung. Eine Anwendung des methodologischen Situationismus auf Interaktionsprozesse in der ZDF-heute- Redaktion

In Media and Communication Studies, media structures are often portrayed as being in opposition to individual action. While various theoretical frameworks attempt to bridge these levels, empirical research has yet to clarify how and when the dynamics of social interaction are shaped by structural factors—and what role individual contributions play. This paper addresses this methodological gap by ethnographically observing situated actions to analyze when, how, and where structures become relevant in the everyday practices of media professionals. Grounded in “methodological situationism,” a framework well suited for examining interactions in specific contexts, our study draws on three case studies from ZDF-heute newsroom meetings to illustrate the interplay between structural constraints and individual agency in editorial decision-making. Our findings reveal that situational contexts and the collective interpretations of participants determine the conditions under which structural influences prevail, are modified, or are circumvented.