{"id":13369,"date":"2017-11-08T14:31:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-08T13:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/?p=13369"},"modified":"2022-10-06T17:43:44","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T15:43:44","slug":"german-british-comparative-project-mediating-populism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.progressives-zentrum.org\/en\/german-british-comparative-project-mediating-populism\/","title":{"rendered":"German-British Comparative Project: \u201cMediating Populism\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Das Progressive Zentrum, in partnership with the think tank Demos from Great Britain and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, is exploring the role that traditional media play in both the legitimization and discreditation of populist parties in Germany and the UK. In addition, the influence which organizational decisions of media platforms may have on the public perception of news is analyzed.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The success of right-wing and left-wing populists is inextricably linked to the coverage they and their core issues receive in the media. In this vein, media capture has become a widespread and dangerous strategy by means of which populists seek to exercise manipulative influence on the direction of public debates. These insights are not new. Yet, in light of ever growing support for populist parties (note, for instance the recent election results in Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic) and the profound effects the digital transformation has on the media landscape, these observations remain highly topical and, indeed, beg a number of novel questions: How does the renaissance of populism transform power dynamics between politics and the media and what are the democratic implications resulting therefrom? What role does the media play in legitimizing and deconstructing populist ideologies? How do media outlets perceive their relationship with and role within politics in the wake of the digital age?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We seek to generate answers to these and other questions in the context of the novel German-British comparative project \u201cMediating Populism\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Together with our British partner think tank Demos and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation in London, we have set ourselves the goal of analyzing the role \u2013 in particular \u2013 of traditional media when it comes to legitimizing and discrediting populist parties in Germany and Great Britain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between UKIP and the AfD: Targeting Populism in Great Britain and Germany<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Against this background, a comparative view on Great Britain and Germany \u2013 both showcase examples of the rapid growth of populist movements across Europe \u2013 is of notable interest. In Britain, the rise of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) and its decisive role in triggering the Brexit vote vigorously illustrate the disruptive potential of seditious, right-wing populist politics. By virtue of exaggerated emotionalisation, simplification and, at times, blatant lies, UKIP has driven a whole nation \u2013 if not a whole confederation of states \u2013 into a highly uncertain future, before virtually disappearing from the political scene. The way UKIP and its agenda was portrayed and dealt with in the media, thereby, is widely acknowledged as one of the crucial factors underlying the electoral choices of UK citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Germany too, electoral accomplishments of the Alternative f\u00fcr Deutschland (AfD) \u2013 most recently with more than 12% in the general elections in September 2017 \u2013 raise questions as to the quality of the media debate on populist phenomena. For many observers, \u201cAfD topics\u201d such as immigration and security were boosted by the media to a disproportionately large extent, ultimately amplifying electoral support for the AfD. As a consequence, calls for limits to unfettered media discretion as far as the reprocessing of populist discourses is concerned grew louder lately. Yet, did the AfD really dictate the news agenda to the extent claimed by many observers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Impact of the Digital Sphere<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Similar framework conditions characterize both the German and British context: The growing relevance of the Internet as a source of political information compels traditional media to operate in a much more complex and competitive environment nowadays. Citizens are confronted with heterogeneous, obscure and at times unreliable sources of information. Patchwork realities come into existence which, in turn, compete with the informational consensus reflected in traditional media outlets. It becomes ever more important, in view of these trends, that media organizations preserve their role as information intermediaries and gatekeepers. Maneouvring through controversial public debates, they must find a way, above all, to cope with populist strategies relying on the very same attention-grabbing mechanisms that inform the practices of media producers. How can this be done successfully in the age of digital communication?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For journalists, editors and media producers, this raises fundamental questions as to media coverage of political events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n