The hybridization of political communication: Politicized news formats and the boundaries of journalism

Over the last decade, digital transformations towards a hybrid media system have resulted in a breakdown of boundaries between producers and consumers of news, between professional journalists and public relations specialists, and between journalism and strategic political communication, presented as “alternative media”, “native advertising” or at worst in “fake news” formats.

Politicians are less dependent on journalistic gatekeepers to spread their messages, since they can communicate directly with citizens via party based news and social media.

The content often comes with an aura of journalistic authenticity that political actors use to address societal problems from a “neutral” perspective.

Parties across the entire political spectrum are now creating “news units”, “media houses” and online “newspapers” as the 2022 election approaches.

While such initiatives may increase the public’s interest in political issues and mobilize voters, experiences from other countries show that a strong politization of the concept of news may strengthen political polarization and increase public distrust in politics and media institutions.

The purpose of this project is to advance the understanding of political communication by turning the spotlight on what we refer to as news in “parasitic” forms.

We analyze the production, content, and circulation of such news during the 2022 election in Sweden, using quantitative, qualitative, manual as well as automated methods.