Politicians’ Perceptions of Biased News Media: A Hostile Media Phenomenon Approach

• In Event: Audience Perceptions of Media Sources and Political Interest

Abstract

There is limited knowledge about why political actors are dissatisfied with journalism. This paper attempts to answer this question by pointing to individual-level perceptual processes of politicians. We argue that part of politicians’ unease with the media can be explained by the hostile media phenomenon (HMP). Originally developed in audience research, the HMP refers to a process by which highly involved individuals tend to perceive media coverage as biased against their own views. Based on a survey of politicians (N = 199) in three European countries, we demonstrate that the HMP also holds for political actors. Furthermore, we show that the HMP makes politicians less likely to contact journalists and more likely to use conflict and drama to gain public attention. Finally, the HMP decreases politicians’ trust in democracy by fostering the belief that the public is not adequately informed about political matters. Theoretical and societal consequences are discussed.

Authors

• Jorg Matthes, U of Vienna

• Peter Maurer, U of Vienna

• Florian Arendt, U of Vienna