Mainstreaming Narratives
This week, we are diving into the role of political authority in mainstreaming far-right outlets & hijacking victimhood narratives.
Mainstreaming the Far Right
How can those in positions of political power lend legitimacy to fringe and far-right news outlets (FROs), granting them attention among mainstream news outlets, politicians, and the public? In “Presidential Authority and the Legitimation of Far-Right News,” recently published in the International Journal of Press/Politics, authors Allison Archer, Carolyn Schmitt, Shannon McGregor, and Heesoo Jang examine former President Donald Trump’s amplification of three FROs—One America News Network (OANN), Newsmax, and Breitbart—on X (formerly Twitter) and how this amplification lent FROs increased legitimacy, contributing to their mainstreaming.
Archer and coauthors consider Trump’s amplification of FROs a form of authority signaling, which “implicitly or explicitly imply the legitimacy of individuals or ideas.” Trump was able to leverage his former position as U.S. president to selectively praise or denigrate news outlets, bringing increased attention to these outlets in turn. Trump combined this authority signaling with a populist communication style that portrayed mainstream news outlets as corrupt, elitist, and exclusionary while portraying hyper-partisan FROs as put-upon purveyors of the truth.
To understand the multifaceted impacts of Trump’s amplification of FROs on X/Twitter, Archer and coauthors combined analysis of tweets from the Trump Twitter Archive with monthly mainstream news coverage of OANN, Newsmax, and Breitbart in the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, and the Wall Street Journal. The authors additionally tracked the number of interviews given in these FROs among U.S. politicians. Archer and coauthors find that Trump’s X/Twitter mentions of OANN, Newsmax, and Breitbart increased over his presidency and that these mentions were largely positive. Mainstream news outlets increased their coverage of these FROs during the same period, while Republican politicians—particularly those serving in the House of Representatives—provided far more interviews to these FROs during this time.
Archer and coauthors contend that Trump’s mentions of OANN, Newsmax, and Breitbart during his presidency were not the sole contributing factors to these outlets’ rise in prominence, but did play a role in lending the outlets a sense of legitimacy. Importantly, the ability to lend this sort of mainstreaming legitimacy to illiberal, far-right outlets is not limited to former president Trump. As the authors assert, “Trump serves simply as a case of an anti-democratic, populist leader who manipulated presidential norms for illiberal means...he set the stage for future leaders to further wreak havoc on democracies from the inside.”
(Research summary by Katherine Furl)
Hijacked Victimhood
In “Strategically Hijacking Victimhood: A Political Communication Strategy in the Discourse of Viktor Orbán and Donald Trump”, Jesse Barton Hronešová and Daniel Kreiss introduce the concept of "hijacked victimhood," where dominant political groups strategically manipulate victimhood narratives to maintain or expand their power. They look into two prominent cases of politicians using hijacked victimhood to communicate to their base: former U.S. President Donald Trump and current Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. Despite contextual differences, both Trump and Orbán utilize similar tactics to hijack victimhood, targeting domestic and international opposition to rally support for their agendas.
By framing themselves as victims, these leaders marginalize the genuine victimhood claims of oppressed groups, reinforcing the status of dominant groups while delegitimizing their opponents. The authors discuss how hijacking victimhood is a dangerous strategy for democracies, noting “these claims securitize victimhood, sow moral confusion about justice and injustice, and blunt rights-based calls for justice. Hijacked victimhood narratives delegitimize the victimhood of those whom they characterize as threats to the power of dominant groups—refugees, minorities, historically oppressed groups, and those who represent them—and dilute efforts at redress and justice.”
Hijacked victimhood narratives delegitimize the victimhood of those whom they characterize as threats to the power of dominant groups—refugees, minorities, historically oppressed groups, and those who represent them—and dilute efforts at redress and justice.
This manipulation serves to shape narratives around the rightful place of dominant groups within their nations and the international system, perpetuating unequal power dynamics. Hronešová and Kreiss stress the need for further research into other subcategories of strategic victimhood, and the importance of examining if, how, and when hijacked victimhood circulates and influences leaders in different contexts.
Publications and Appearances
On March 22nd, Daniel Kreiss spoke at the World Ethics series at Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill about media’s role in January 6th— previewing our event coming up on April 12th.
The New York Times spoke with Shannon McGregor regarding Trump’s Truth Social going public through a merger with Digital World Acquisition Corp. The merger raises the question of strategy for growth in advertising revenue. In the first nine months of last year, Trump Social received $3.3 million in ad revenue; during the same period, they netted a loss of $49 million. Shannon notes how “it is unclear to me what is the strategy to building out the platform, especially so it may reach a broader advertiser. There does seem to be a ceiling in these niche markets.”
Shannon McGregor and Daniel Kreiss spoke with The Daily Tar Heel about the role of social media in elections. Shanon discussed how social media is often used as a way for campaigns to share their stances on issues, as well as communicate important details and reminders to their constituents, like how and when to vote. Daniel noted that social media is the main source people receive their political and election news-- because so many people receive their news from socal media, Shannon encourages people to follow and seek sources on social media that have quality information, and take breaks when engaging feels too overwhelming.
A new volume “Public Scholarship in Communication Studies” from the University of Illinois Press features Daniel Kreiss and Shanon McGregor as contributors, with Sylvio Waisbord and CITAP affiliate TJ Billard as editors. Billard and Waisbord “curate essays from a wide range of specialties within the study of communication. Aimed at scholars and students alike, the contributors use approaches from critical meditations to case studies to how-to guides as they explore the possibilities of seeing shared knowledge not as a gift to be granted but as an imperative urging readers to address the problems of the world."
Coming Soon
April
Media and January 6th: On April 12th, CITAP will be hosting an event in celebration and reflection of the launch of the book “Media and January 6th.”
Find more info about the panels, panelists, and schedule for the day here! UNC students are eligible to receive CLE credit for each panel.