Journal article
Hijacking Journalism: Legitimacy and Metajournalistic Discourse in Right-Wing Podcasts
Media and communication (Lisboa), Vol.10(3), pp.17-27
07/28/2022
DOI: 10.17645/mac.v10i3.5260
Appears in UI Libraries Support Open Access
Abstract
Whereas personal expression has become a core practice of journalism whose merits can include greater attention to context and interpretative analysis, these freedoms from the constraints of traditional broadcast conventions can pose serious risks, including the ideological hijacking of journalism by partisan actors. In popular right-wing podcasts, such as those hosted by Ben Shapiro and Dan Bongino, the element of opinion amplifies the tendency of the podcast medium to relegate news to a secondary concern behind the emotional impact. Not only do podcasters like Shapiro and Bongino contribute to a fractured media environment of hyper-partisan news and commentary, but they also utilize social media platforms and transmedia networks to undermine traditional journalism and replace it with an alternative conservative media ecosystem—a multiplatform, full-service clearinghouse of news and commentary afforded by the publishing capabilities of the internet and the distribution algorithms of social media platforms like Facebook. This study charts the evolution of conservative audio production, from the influential work of talk radio star Rush Limbaugh through the latest innovations by conservative podcasters, as exemplified by Shapiro and Bongino. Our study builds on previous scholarship on metajournalistic discourse to examine how right-wing podcasters use exclusionary language to delegitimize the institution of journalism and offer a self-contained, ideologically conservative version of journalism as a replacement.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Hijacking Journalism: Legitimacy and Metajournalistic Discourse in Right-Wing Podcasts
- Creators
- David O. Dowling - University of Iowa, School of Journalism and Mass CommunicationPatrick R. JohnsonBrian Ekdale - University of Iowa, School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Media and communication (Lisboa), Vol.10(3), pp.17-27
- DOI
- 10.17645/mac.v10i3.5260
- ISSN
- 2183-2439
- eISSN
- 2183-2439
- Publisher
- Cogitatio Press
- Copyright
- © 2022 David O. Dowling, Patrick R. Johnson, Brian Ekdale.
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/28/2022
- Academic Unit
- Center for Social Science Innovation; Public Policy Center (Archive); School of Journalism and Mass Communication
- Record Identifier
- 9984275253802771
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