Populism and Independence Movements in Europe: The Catalan-Spanish Case (original) (raw)

ANALYSIS OF THE SOCIAL AND MEDIA DEBATE DURING THE CATALAN INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM

Brazilian Journalism Research | V.18, n.01. , 2022

This research includes an analysis of the media frameworks built around the Catalan government's attempt to organize the referendum for independence from Spain on Oct 1 st , 2017. Based on previous studies on the use of pragmatic and symbolic frameworks during independence processes, the objective is to identify the main interpretive frameworks, actors, and actions that starred in the symbolic battle over national identities, comparing (1) the media coverage of the referendum in two national, two international, and two regional newspapers with (2) the social debate on Twitter. The comparative quantitative analysis shows how the media prioritized emotional information and historical aspects, with notable differences between the national media and the social debate on Twitter. The coverage in international

The Spanish-Catalan political crisis as represented in the UK, French and German press (2010-2017)

Journal for Communication Studies, 2018

Political events in Catalonia from 2010 to the present have marked part of the Spanish and EU media agenda and have resonated in the international media. We analysed German, French and UK media coverage and opinions of foreign correspondents regarding the Catalan independence movement for the period 2010 to 2017. We analysed press representations of the positions of the Spanish and Catalan governments and of the confrontation between them, focusing on the main newspapers (Le Figaro, Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Süddeustsche Zeitung, The Daily Telegraph and The Guardian) of the major EU economies of Germany, France and the UK. Analysis was intended to determine the degree of (il)legitimacy of the independence movement as well as arguments in favour of the Spanish status quo and even of European identity. We conducted a framing analysis of 563 press articles and an ethnographic study based on in-depth interviews with four foreign correspondents in Spain. The analysed newspapers provided wide coverage of the Catalan independence movement, framed the crisis as a conflict between the governments of Spain and Catalonia and called repeatedly on the EU to mediate.

Shaping Public Opinion for Confrontation: Catalan Independence Claims as Represented in Spanish, Catalan, Valencian, and Basque Editorials

American Behavioral Scientist, 2017

Editorials represent a newspaper's principal means of ideological positioning and serve to identify the attitude of each newspaper and its readership to some of the main actors in any given conflict, especially those that are political in nature. Catalonia's independence movement has experienced a surge in recent years. The turning point came in July 2010, after Spain's constitutional court ruled against some aspects of Catalonia's Statute of Autonomy (the legislation regulating the relationship between the Catalan autonomous community and the Spanish state). The ruling annulled some of the articles of the statute. The demonstration in support of Catalan independence that took place on September 11, 2012, was considered the most important among several mass rallies held for this purpose over successive years on Catalonia's National Day. This article presents the results of a qualitative and quantitative analysis of editorial articles published around these two key dates, with the goal of studying each newspaper's treatment of political actors and their degree of identification with these actors. Their use of arguments aimed at persuading readers and legitimizing a given position during the specified time periods in 2010 and 2012 will also be studied. The study focuses on the editorial articles published by several newspapers in four distinct regional contexts: Catalonia, Valencia, the Basque Country, as well as the

Exploring the Current Treatment of Populism in European Media: A Linguistic Case Study

I-Land, 2017

Recently in the European political scene, right-wing and left-wing populist parties have emerged in different countries: left-wing populism in Greece with SYRIZA (acronym for the Coalition of the Radical Left), and Spain with Podemos (‘We can’), right-wing populism in France with the National Front (FN); in Germany with Alternative for Germany; in Netherlands with the Party for Freedom (PVV); in Italy with the Five Star Movement (M5S) and Lega Nord; in Austria with the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ); in the United Kingdom with the UK Independence party (UKIP), among others. Most of these parties, regardless of their position on the political spectrum, reject the populist label. In this paper, we conduct an analysis of the linguistic treatment of populism in European media and its implications. We are aware that populism can be viewed from different angles, for example, as an ideology (Abts/Rummens 2007: 421), as a “political style” (Moffit 2016: 27), as political tactics (Weyland 2003: 1112), as a type of discourse (Hawkins 2009: 1047), or as the sum of all those (Caiani/Graziano 2016: 20). The present study approaches populism from an interdisciplinary stance through the linguistic study of a selection of texts extracted from the European media. Four political movements were selected for analysis, one of them is currently in power after winning two consecutive elections, i.e. the Greek SYRIZA, and the other three parties have MPs in the parliaments of their respective countries. These are: FN in France, PVV in Netherlands and Podemos in Spain. We initially assumed that the media would change their wording according to their political affinity and inclination. Results show, nonetheless, that the variations observed seem to be more influenced by the media typology than by political considerations. Keywords media studies, critical discourse analysis, news analysis, populism in Europe

NATION AND EUROPE IN SPANISH PUBLIC DISCOURSES: A Comparative Analysis of Press, TV and Parties

2001

1 Introduction 32 European and international events in context 43 Research design and methodology 74 Mass Media discourse on nation, Europe, the EU and Eastern countries: the Nice summit andthe Euro launch 114.1 Overview 114.2 The Nice summit 144.2.1 Representation of Member States 164.2.2 Representation of Spain 174.2.3 Representation of Europe and the European Union 194.2.4 Enlargement and representation of accession countries 204.2.5 TV coverage of the Nice summit 204.3 The Euro launch 234.3.1 Representations of Member States 254.3.2 Representations of Spain 264.3.3 Representations of Europe and the European Union 274.3.4 Enlargement and representation of accession countries 284.3.5 TV coverage of the Euro launch 285 Conclusions on mass media 296 Political discourse on nation, Europe, the EU and Easter countries: electoral manifestoes andparliamentary debates on Kosovo and Afghanistan 316.1 Overview 316.2 Representations of Member State 346.3 Representations of Spain. “Sub-nation...

Populist attitudes and perceptions of public opinion and the media: A comparative correlational study between Spain and Colombia

Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 2021

Introduction: Populismhas experienced a worrying growth in the last decade in different locations around the world. This globalizing process has been enhanced by the immediacy, interaction, and participation of social networks, cyber media, and other digital platforms. In thiscontext, the perception that young people give to this type of phenomena constitutes a field of study of great interest for the Social Sciences. This research examines the correlations between populist attitudes, perception of public opinion, and opinionsabout the media in students of Communication Sciences in Colombia and Spain. Methods:Based on an exploratory-correlational approach and a quantitative design, this research has analyzed the reflections and priorities of a group of n=499 undergraduate and graduate students related to Communication Sciences in Colombia and Spain. Results:The study has confirmed the leading role played by social networks in the formation of radical opinions while detecting a decline in the influence of television among young audiences. In addition, the study establishes that the index of public opinion perception is higher in Spain, while the index of media perception or anti-elitist attitudes is higher in Colombia, and there is no clear link between populist attitudes and a political ideology of extremes. Conclusions:The correlations examined note a tendency towards disaffection and discredit towards politics in general, especially by the young population, which affects actors and institutions. It alludes to the preference of this population group for interacting and informing themselves on digital platformsand presents populist attitudes, without clear ideological identification, but with a clear tendency towards simplification of messages, thus emphasizing the need to educate the critical view of citizens and to work on media literacy as a crucial strategyagainst the growth and expansion of populism.

The Catalan political process in the leading Spanish, Catalan and British newspapers

In cases of sociopolitical conflict, such as the current political situation between Catalonia and Spain, the media play an active role in the construction and legitimation of the narrative of events. The aim of this communication is to analyse the construction of the news story about the last 27 September 2015 regional elections in Catalonia, cast as a plebiscitary vote by the pro-independence parties. The study focuses on the analysis of three leading newspapers defined by different regional and political realities: El Mundo (Spain), Ara (Catalonia) and The Daily Telegraph (United Kingdom).