The Finns Party: Euroscepticism, Euro Crisis, Populism and the Media

Abstract

In many European countries, populist right-wing parties have been most noticeable representatives of Euroscepticism. In Finland, the Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset) has been a constant promoter of organisational Euroscepticism through its leader, Timo Soini. The party broke through in Finland's 'big bang elections' of 2011, when the most debated issue was the European economic crisis, which was dominated by Eurosceptic Soini. Research concerning the relationship between the media, populism and Euroscepticism usually focus on national or European Parliament elections. This study analyses the media portrayal of the Eurosceptic Finns Party during times other than elections, focusing on the Finland's overall Euro crisis press coverage in 2010-2012. The analysis shows that the populist Finns Party has been a minor player in that coverage, which was dominated by the Euro positive political and economic elites. Differences between newspapers indicate that journalistic routines and political context direct media coverage toward particular framings, even when the media proclaims itself politically independent and neutral.

Where the wind blows: Five Star Movement’s populism, direct democracy and ideological flexibility

“…During the 2009 European elections, for example, the topic was almost completely absent. Moreover, Euroscepticism became a predominant issue and a source of electoral consensus for populist parties (Ivarsflaten, 2005;Van der Brug et al, 2005;Arzheimer, 2009;Rooduijn, 2015), especially after 2008 (Herkman, 2017), and this can help explain why the topic became increasingly salient in the party's discourse. In Taggart's words 'the portrayal of elites (…) as distant, faceless and invidious is an essential part of populism.…”

Finland

“…These dualisms of racism and workers’ identity and representative democracy and social media are crucial dynamics in the Finns Party (c.f. recent Herkman and ; Hatakka ; Hatakka, Niemi & Välimäki ). The defection also annulled the one‐seat difference between the two junior coalition partners after the national elections in April 2015 (Grönlund & Wass ).…”

Popülist Liderlerinin Başarısına Medya Sistemleri Perspektifinden Bir Bakış: Birleşik Krallık, Hollanda ve Türkiye Karşılaştırması

“…Popülist liderler, sadece haber değeri taşıdıklarından, karizma sahibi olduklarından, hedef kitlelerinin hıncını yansıtmakta başarılı olduklarından ve hitap ettikleri kişilerin duygu ve fikirlerini yansıtabildiklerinden medyanın dikkatini çekmektedir. "Sokaktaki adam/kadın" ya da "halkın adamı/kadını" olarak tanımlanan siyasal liderlerin daha popüler olması, dinleyici veya okuyucuyu takip ederek onlara hitap etmek isteyen "iştah kabartan" yayınlarla da ilişkilidir (Mazzoleni ve Schulz, 1999;McNair, 2007;Mazzoleni, 2008;Moffitt, 2016;Herkman, 2017). Popülist liderlerin skandal yaratan konuşmaları veya dramatik hayat hikayeleri kimi zaman medyanın aradığı içerik olduğundan dolayı liderlerin görünür olmaları konusunda şansları artar.…”

“…Benzer şekilde, İtalya'da medya kuruluşlarını rahatlıkla kontrol eden Berlusconi'nin başarısı da burada örnek olarak verilebilir (Freedman, 2018). Bunun yanında yasal ve hukuki yollarla diğer kurumları baskı altına alabilmek de mümkündür (Waisbord, 2012), buradaki amaç diğer (muhalif) seslerin önüne geçmek ve iktidarda olan popülist aktörleri daha görünür kılmaktır (Waisbord, 2011;Herkman, 2017 (Beckett, 2010). Medya 3 http://www.democraticaudit.com/2018/08/30/2018audit-how-well-does-the-uks-media-system-supportdemocratic-politics-and-represent-citizens-interests/ Erişim tarihi: 12 Mart 2019.…”