Populism, the Pandemic and the Media

Populism is on the rise across the globe. Authoritarian populist leaders have taken over and solidified their control over many countries. Their power has been cemented during the global coronavirus pandemic, though perhaps the defeat of populist-in-chief Donald Trump in the 2020 US presidential election (despite his continuing protestations to the contrary) has seen the start of the waning of this phenomenon? In the UK Brexit is ‘done’; Britain is firmly out of the EU; Covid is vaccinated against; and Boris Johnson has a huge parliamentary majority and, despite never-ending problems, of his own and others’ making, his grip on power with a parliamentary majority of more than 80, still seems secure. Meanwhile culture wars continue to rage. How has media, worldwide, contributed, fulled or fought this populism. Cheerleaders? Critics? Supplicants? This book examines those questions in 360 degrees with a distinguished cast of authors from journalism and academia. The Authors Introduction by Nick Robinson. Chapters by David Banks, Julian Barwell, Deborah Bonetti, Dorothy Byrne, Paul Ian Campbell, Barnie Choudhury, Tor Clark, Alex Cannock, Elena Cosentino, David Cowling, Professor Sir John Curtice, Professor Philip John Davies, Professor Robert Dover, Bill Dunlop, Mark Easton, Gavin Esler, Matt Frei, Gary Gibbon, Ken Goldstein, Clodagh Harrington, Imke Henkel, Will Hutton, Alistair Jones, Steven McCabe, Sara McConnell, John McLellan, James Mates, Julian Matthews, Robert Moore, Clive Myrie, Professor Julian Petley, Juliet Rix, Alan Rusbridger, Martin Shipton, David Smith, Maurice Smith, Raymond Snoddy, Jon Sopel, Mark Thompson, Professor Richard Tait, Gail Walker, Jim White and Peter York. The Editors John Mair, series editor of 40 ‘Hackademic’ texts Tor Clark, Associate Professor in Journalism, University of Leicester Neil Fowler, former editor of four regional newspapers and Which? Magazine Raymond Snoddy, media journalist Richard Tait, Professor of Journalism, Cardiff University