Abstrakt
This working paper investigates the relationship between the media landscape and populist parties and leaders. It assumes that in the scientific literature three distinct aspects of populism have been mainly addressed by scholars, namely, populism expressed by populist political parties and leaders (studied, for instance, through the analysis of election manifestos), populism among citizens (studied using opinion surveys), and populism within the media (usually investigated through content analysis of media coverage). Accordingly, this research focus on this latter dimension in order to shed light on the relationship between journalism and populism. Based on the literature developed by Mazzoleni (2003),
Krämer (2014), and Jagers and Walgrave (2007), the working paper aims at identifying and operationalising the so-called "media populism" in media outlet, as well as the social and political factors that prompt journalists to contrast or favour populism. The empirical analysis, including six EU countries (Czechia, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, and Slovakia), combines an original expert survey
(aimed at measuring the level of populism by the media in each national context) and in-depth interviews with journalists about news media perception and reaction to populism in politics.