Media, Populism and Corruption

This book follows the International Seminar “Media, Populism and Corruption” held at ICNOVA, Lisbon, Portugal, in November 2022, integrated into the activities of the 21st Century Populism Observatory. The eleven chapters are preceded by a preface and a presentation, which aim to contextualize the pertinence and relevance of the themes under discussion — Media, Populism and Corruption —, as well to justify them within the scope of ICNOVA’s research projects. The chapters, both theoretical and empirical, focus populist phenomena located in Brazil, Spain, United States of America, and Portugal. Four aspects stand out that guided the organization of the eBook. Firstly, the theoretical-conceptual discussion on the relationship between Media and Populism, undertaken by the authors, with a largely common bibliography, but where the perspectives and geographies of the analysed phenomena create different interpretations. Then, it is noted that many of the empirical studies have as object of analysis the centrality of populist political actors, who have optimized, or optimize their relationship with the Media, efficiently using social networks and mainstream media, to capture and captivate voters in sealed bubbles. A third aspect, which permeates, clearly, the chapters, is the complicity between corporations/owners/operators and professionals of the Media, mainstream and social networks, with the expansion of Populism, promoting the discrediting of democratic institutions and of its agents, as well as the institutional conflict, the political spectacle, and the information without contradictions. One last aspect are the articles that discuss the relationship between Populism and gender identity issues, with relevance to the agendas and attempts of parties, located on the right-wing populism, to revert freedoms, guarantees and achievements associated with these social movements.