Journalism, Populism and the Future of Democracy (original) (raw)
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The International Journal of Press/Politics, 2018
In the wake of the recent successes of populist political actors and discussions about its causes in Europe, the contribution of the media has become an issue of public debate. We identify three roles—as gatekeepers, interpreters, and initiators—the media can assume in their coverage of populist actors, populist ideology, and populist communication. A comparative content analysis of nine thousand stories from fifty-nine news outlets in ten European countries shows that both media factors (e.g., tabloid orientation) and political factors (e.g., response of mainstream parties) influence the extent and nature of populism in the media. Although newspapers in most countries do not overrepresent populist actors and tend to evaluate them negatively, we still find abundant populist content in the news. Several media outlets like to present themselves as mouthpieces of the people while, at the same time, cover politicians and parties with antiinstitutional undertones.
In the wake of the recent successes of populist political actors and discussions about its causes in Europe, the contribution of the media has become an issue of public debate. We identify three roles-as gatekeepers, interpreters, and initiators-the media can assume in their coverage of populist actors, populist ideology, and populist communication. A comparative content analysis of nine thousand stories from fifty-nine news outlets in ten European countries shows that both media factors (e.g., tabloid orientation) and political factors (e.g., response of mainstream parties) influence the extent and nature of populism in the media. Although newspapers in most countries do not overrepresent populist actors and tend to evaluate them negatively, we still find abundant populist content in the news. Several media outlets like to present themselves as mouthpieces of the people while, at the same time, cover politicians and parties with antiinstitutional undertones.
Populism, Media and Journalism
Brazilian journalism research, 2021
The articles in this special issue on populism, media and journalism build on, but also contribute to the extensive literature on the nature and consequences of populism. Among the questions raised are those about the gap between populism’s radical democratic discourse and actual practice, the destructive effects of populism on the structure and dynamics of various social fields, the importance of context in determining the actual nature of populist discourse and practice, as well as the role of globalization as it interacts with local context. Anti-elitism, anti-pluralism, polarization, charismatic leadership are not new tropes in studies of populism, yet they gain new tones when its effects on media and journalism are assessed. All in all, the study of populism in media and journalism raises important questions about its specificity in the context of new forms of communication and connection, how crises can create opportunities for its emergences, and how difference political syst...
Covering Populist Media Criticism: When Journalists' Professional Norms Turn Against Them
The International Journal of Communication, 2021
Various countries have seen a rise in populist rhetoric used by politicians, parties, and movements to discredit journalists, news outlets, and “The Media.” Research indicates that such rhetoric affects the public’s perceptions of the news media, posing a real challenge to professional journalism. Unlike other targets of populist criticism, journalists find themselves required to mediate that criticism to the public, which puts them in a particularly awkward position. Drawing on thematic analysis of 40 semistructured interviews with Israeli journalists who have been publicly scrutinized by Israel’s prime minister, this article suggests that journalists’ interpretation of traditional journalistic norms, and particularly the ethos of objectivity, leads them to amplify the accusations against them, while refraining from refuting them. As journalists confuse objectivity with passivity, the populist criticism turns into a sophisticated form of “soft” censorship, which uses imagined audiences to manipulate journalists’ professional norms against them.
The Interaction of Populist Politics and (Populist) Media
WASJ, 2019
The paper deals with the issue of the interaction of populist political communication and populist reporting and the style increasingly characteristic of journalists and media outlets. It raises the thesis that populist policy guidance and communication is producing adaptation of media and that media are often actively supporting populist politics. The role and responsibility of media workers who are often exposed to political pressure and influences have been reexamined. The working conditions in the media which help to create the conditions for populist reporting and interpretation have also been analyzed. As there are numerous mechanisms of manipulation that are increasingly more supported through populist politics, we conclude that due to various reasons these influences are often more powerful than journalistic ethics and professional behavior of the media. In the current state of affairs, it makes them extremely topical in the communication process and makes the public and society vulnerable to populism and political manipulations.
A Complicated Relationship: Right-Wing Populism, Media Representation and Journalism Theory
2017
The current upswing of right-wing populism in the United States and in Europe is a challenge not only for policy makers, but also for journalism theory. If and how to report on rightwing politicians, movements and issues is a delicate question that various strands of theory answer differently. Functionalist systems theory is in favor of large-scale coverage due to the stimulating news values of populist debates, although the precise character of the political integration remains unclear. In contrast, rational democratic deliberation theory is to be interpreted as a complete rebuttal of the irrational character of populism. The argument here would be that we must not allow the media be dominated by irrational debates. At the same time, democratic media theory is all but uniform in dealing with the phenomenon. While traditional rational public sphere theory is clearly anti-populist, paradoxically left-liberal and postmodern public sphere theory, anti-elitist and radically post-modern as it is, can be used as an argument for better representation of marginalized voices, including right-wing populists.
Journalists’ Perceptions of Populism and the Media
Communicating Populism, 2019
The right oE Carsten Reinemann, James ranyer Toril Aalberg, Frank Esser, and Claes H. de Vreese to be idenrified a the authors oE the cd irorialllla teria l,. ud of che 3uthors for their individual chap ters, has I (!cn a erred in accorda n c wirh sectians 77 and 78 of thc pyright, esi ns and PatCI'ts A r 1988. Ali righrs rescrvcd. No pare of rhi book may be reprinred 01' reprodLJccd or urili ed in 811)' form or by any c lcc tronic, lIlechnnical r olher menu, 1l0\V known 01' hcrenftcr irwcntccl includlng phococopying and rccordillg, or in :luy inrOfmation cora C ()r rerrieval sysrem wirhoLJc pcrmission in wririn from rhe publishcrs. Trndell/tll'k lIotice: Produ [or corporate names may be trademarks or regi te[cd rrademarks tl l1d are used anly for identification and explanation wirhour inr nt to in fringe.
The Strategic Bias: How Journalists Respond to Antimedia Populism
International Journal of Press/Politics, 2021
As populist campaigns against the media become increasingly common around the world, it is ever more urgent to explore how journalists adopt and respond to them. Which strategies have journalists developed to maintain the public's trust, and what may be the implications for democracy? These questions are addressed using a thematic analysis of forty-five semistructured interviews with leading Israeli journalists who have been publicly targeted by Israel's Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The article suggests that while most interviewees asserted that adherence to objective reporting was the best response to antimedia populism, many of them have in fact applied a "strategic bias" to their reporting, intentionally leaning to the Right in an attempt to refute the accusations of media bias to the Left. This strategy was shaped by interviewees' perceived helplessness versus Israel's Prime Minister and his extensive use of social media, a phenomenon called here "the influence of presumed media impotence." Finally, this article points at the potential ramifications of strategic bias for journalism and democracy. Drawing on Hallin's Spheres theory, it claims that the strategic bias might advance Right-wing populism at present, while also narrowing the sphere of legitimate controversy-thus further restricting press freedom-in the future.