Open AccessMigration between Politics, Journalism and PR: New Conditions for Power, Citizenship and Democracy?
Author(s) -
Göran Palm,
Håkan Sandström
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nordicom review/nordicom review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.754
H-Index - 15
eISSN - 2001-5119
pISSN - 1403-1108
DOI - 10.2478/nor-2014-0109
Subject(s) - elite , politics , citizenship , journalism , democracy , realm , political science , state (computer science) , power (physics) , public sphere , citizen journalism , sociology , law , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science
In this article we present a preliminary theoretical background and some empirical findings concerning a migrating trend between the fields of politics, PR and journalism: one day a political reporter, the next a communication officer; one day a PR consultant, the next a state secretary. To understand contemporary politics one must, we argue, comprehend the convergence between three fields of power holders that together form the realm of politics and communication: elite politicians, elite political reporters and elite communication/PR officers. Together, they form a communication elite that sets the parameters for the public discourse on politics. When politics is produced and constructed in, and through, social networks formed by elite agents from politics, journalism and PR, what does this mean for how democracy is worked out and what does it mean for citizenship in general?