Mass Media Occurrence as a Political Career Maker

Bibliographic Data

ID7501591
AuthorsAnnelien Van Remoortere (0000-0003-1610-2661, University of Antwerp, corresponding author), Stefaan Walgrave (0000-0003-1814-1015, University of Antwerp), Rens Vliegenthart (University of Amsterdam)
Year2021
Volume28
Issue1
Pages201-218
Publication date2021-06-03
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe International Journal of Press/Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1940-1612 • E-ISSN: 1040-1620
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/19401612211021784
OpenAlexW3169281556
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited35

Ample work in political communication showed that high-level politicians get more media attention than their lower ranking colleagues. With power comes media attention. More than hard work, charisma, or experience, it is the political function performed by politicians that is the crucial factor in explaining how much media attention they receive. But what about the opposite relationship: does media attention also generate power? In this paper, we examine the media path leading to power. Basically, two important career steps of politicians are assessed: becoming a party leader and becoming a minister; we test whether, compared to those who did not make a top career, the politicians who came to take these steps were more prominent in the media before they moved up and became elite politicians. We draw on the case of Belgium here and leverage on a longitudinal automated media content analysis (2000–2020) combined with a data set of 532 national/regional politicians and their careers. The study finds that media occurrences matters for being promoted to a top function in Belgium, more so for becoming a minister than for becoming a party leader. Furthermore, rejecting our initial idea based on political mediatization theories, the influence of media occurrence does not seem to increase through time for both functions

Charisma · Elite · Function (biology · Leverage (statistics · Mass media · Media coverage · Media relations · Media studies · Political communication · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Public relations · Sociology · Computer Science · Media Influence and Politics · Media Studies and Communication · Social Media and Politics · Law

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