Journalist-Activist Boundary Work in Populist Times

The #NazisRaus Debate in German Media

Bibliographic Data

ID12909401
AuthorsGiuliana Sorce (0000-0002-3583-9573, University of Tübingen, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume15
Issue7
Pages894-910
Publication date2020-05-13
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournalism Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1751-2786 • E-ISSN: 1751-2794
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/17512786.2020.1755885
OpenAlexW3024451867
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited40

When broadcast journalist Nicole Diekmann tweeted “Nazis out,” she launched a large cultural discussion in the German Twittersphere—the hashtag #NazisRaus began to trend, prompting politicians, celebrities, and other journalists to partake. This paper begins by analyzing the developing discourses surrounding Diekmann’s tweet via a two-fold qualitative content analysis, looking at both the @replies to her tweet and the emergent media coverage about the debate. The analyses yield that user commentary was predominantly positive, with many commending Diekmann for taking a stance against right-wing populism in Germany. Users debated the message itself, its social acceptability, and feasibility. Journalistic treatments of the #NazisRaus controversy was overall much more critical, with most journalist reprimanding Diekmann for engaging in activism as a fellow journalist, using examples of hate-speech to show what happens to journalists who dabble in activism. Building on these results, this paper then investigates the lessons of the #NazisRaus debate with a focus on the link between activist journalistic practice and its boundary work, arguing that the present political climate and growing right-wing culture might prompt journalists to engage in more activist public communication practices

Boundary-work · German · Journalism · Media studies · Political science · Politics · Populism · Right wing · Social media · Social science · Sociology · History · Law · Media Studies and Communication · Populism, Right-Wing Movements · Social Media and Politics

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