Far-right challenges to liberal democratic press norms: “indexing by proxy” in a German immigration debate

Abstract

This study examines the mechanisms by which illiberal politics make the news by disrupting democratic systems. During the late 20th century, a liberal journalistic consensus in most democracies developed guidelines for gatekeeping political voices and views in the news. In recent years, illiberal politics and changing media systems have challenged those press norms. Politically marginalized parties can make the news by disrupting party systems, elections, and policy processes. The presented case of German news coverage of the United Nations Global Compact for Migration shows that disproportionate media attention to the far-right Alternative für Deutschland party was not related to its size or policy impact, but to the strategic disruption of the political process itself. Making news via democratic disruption constitutes what we term “indexing by proxy” that undermines a core democratic journalism norm by amplifying coverage of illiberal actors that challenge the legitimacy of various public institutions, including legacy journalism.