Ann-Katrin Muller
political editor DER SPIEGEL (via video)
Gilles Paris
Le Monde
Laura Saarikoski
editor-in-chief premium content The Helsingin Sanomat
Mirjana Tomic
Forum Journalismus und Medien
How should Europe’s mainstream media cover far-right political parties? Should they denounce, ignore, contextualize, include, or mainstream far-right rhetoric and policies?
Far-right populist parties are advancing in Europe. In Italy and in Finland, Fratelli di Italia and Finns Party respectively, govern in coalition; in Germany and in Austria the support for the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) is spreading; in France, Marie Le Pen, National Assembly, hopes to become president. In June 2024, the far-right parties are expected to increase their presence and reshape the European Parliament. Their policies and rhetoric, deemed inappropriate a decade ago, have become mainstream. Although country-specific, all far-right parties share one common view: anti-immigration policies and rhetoric.
How should the liberal mainstream media cover the far right, their policies and rhetoric? Should every word and gesture be chronicled, or ignored or fact-checked? How much public space/attention should the far-right be given? Do mainstream media ignore and/or understand the growing number of voters who support the far right? Why did media fail to predict the far-right victory in The Netherlands? Are there any good practices in covering the far-right?
Moderated by Mirjana Tomic.
