Tabloids and elections: Who's kidding who?
A sociological study of online tabloids during elections from Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer.
Tabloids and elections: Who's kidding who?
30 Jan 2025, 12:00 – 13:00
Helena's book, (Not) kidding: politics in online tabloids (Brill, 2024) provides a detailed analysis of the media coverage during the 2015-2016 US presidential and Brexit campaigns, focusing on the articles and reader comments in major British, Polish, and US online tabloids such as Mail Online, Pudelek, and Gawker.
Helena will additionally discuss her interviews with 20 journalists and editors from these outlets to shed light on their newsrooms, production techniques, and professional values.
This seminar explores the emotional public sphere of comment sections and introduces the concept of the “(not) kidding” frame, which highlights the ambiguity and reactive nature of tabloid media, and how they navigate accusations of undermining democracy.
This event will be particularly useful for those interested in media studies and political sociology.
Related links
Image
Microgen via Adobe Stock.
Dr Helena Chmielewska-Szlajfer
Assistant Professor; Visiting Fellow
Koźmiński University; London School of Economics
She studies everyday civic practices as well as news media, online politics, and news avoidance.
Further information
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