TITLE:
Media and the Rise of Right-Wing Populism: Gauging the Role of CNews in Promoting Far-Right Ideology in France
AUTHORS:
Armiyaou Gombo Abdoul-Bagui
KEYWORDS:
France, Right-Wing Populism, Media Discourse, CNews, Far-Right
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Political Science,
Vol.11 No.4,
October
29,
2021
ABSTRACT: This paper reflects the concept of populism, based
on an analysis of a media editorial line and the increasing populist, demagogic
discourses present on mainstream media in France. It presents the concept of
populism and its current problems, then offers a methodological reflection
centered on the desire to emphasize the role of media on the rise of right-wing
populism and far-right ideology. The aim is to study the role of media, which
can promote populist communication. This study doesn’t focus on contextual
factors such as the electoral success of right-wing populist parties; instead,
it explores other aspects, such as media editorial line and opinion journalism,
largely independent of political reality which can increase the chances of
populist rhetoric being included in media coverage. Therefore, this paper
offers a brief review of the communicative aspect of populism. It discusses the
rise of populist rhetoric in the media in France and the role of the CNews
television channel in mobilizing and promoting far-right ideologies in the
French political and media landscape. The results highlight how CNews, with its
far-right columnists, such as Eric Zemmour, contribute to the rise of
right-wing populist rhetoric in the French media landscape; since the increase
of its audience coincides with the rise of right-wing populist and far-right
rhetoric in the French political spectrum.