‘If I were to run, I’d run as Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they’d still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific’.
and then the Chief Strategist for 7 months during his presidential term. 89 This
shows how far-right figures can be idolised and receive substantial media
coverage, building an audience despite provocative statements, meanwhile,
material is continuously distributed defending them as ‘defenders of free speech and the nation’ . 90 - Donald Trump, People Magazine 1998
Far-right organisations often depict themselves as the face of the white working
class who represent the ‘left behind’ or the ‘voiceless’ , thus helping them acquire more traction and legitimacy. 91 As argued by Melki and Sekeris (2019), a higher ‘exposure to politicised media may lead to a radicalisation of individual political views, thereby producing more political polarisation’ (p.12). 92 Providing a
platform for extremist figures or uncritically presenting their perspectives
contributes to the normalisation of extreme ideas and therefore exacerbates the
mainstreaming of far-right ideologies.
Additionally, highly partisan news and media outlets tend to use language that
a larger percentage of the population would understand, and even find
entertaining. As suggested by Mondon (2016), the rise in populism has created a
wish to see news coverage on reactionary right-wing politics, thus media outlets
tend to create catastrophised headlines that simplify and over-hype complex situations. 93 Many right-wing news outlets such as Fox News, the Daily Mail, and
95
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