parteilichkeit

Parteilichkeit is a German term meaning partisanship or partiality. It denotes a predisposition to favor a particular political party, faction, or viewpoint, potentially affecting judgments and actions. The word combines Partei (party) with -lichkeit, a suffix for abstract qualities.

In political science and media studies, parteilichkeit describes both personal identification with a party and systematic biases in discourse. It can be descriptive (a voter’s loyalty) or normative (an expectation of impartiality in journalism, courts, and research). In journalism, parteilichkeit may refer to explicit editorial alignment or to unconscious biases in coverage.

Effects include reinforcement of partisan identities, selective information processing, and polarization, yet partisan cues can also aid message comprehension and mobilize supporters. Researchers measure parteilichkeit with surveys of party identification, content analysis of media, and experiments presenting partisan cues.

Normatively, debates distinguish justified advocacy from obstructions to fair assessment. Public institutions and many journals strive for impartiality, while some media outlets emphasize explicit editorial lines.

Related concepts include bias, impartiality, objectivity, party loyalty, and political psychology.