Lobbying and mass media. Analysis of media coverage of lobbying in Spain

Abstract

Introduction: Political communication is an area of maximum relevance in the construction of spaces for public discussion and is a basis for organisations in the direction of communication strategies and their techniques for an adequate interaction between organisations and their public (Almansa-Martínez and Fernández-Souto, 2020; Castillo-Esparcia et al., 2020). Lobbying is a form of communication that seeks to influence the decision-making processes of public institutions on issues of interest to organisations (Castillo-Esparcia, 2011). Methodology: In this sense, the proposal aims to find out how lobbies are treated in the Spanish press. To this end, a quantitative methodology is carried out by means of a content analysis that will allow us to know the number of news items and the typology most included in the main generic Spanish newspapers such as ABC, El País, El Mundo, and two specialized newspapers such as Cinco Días and Expansión, in the last six years, from 2017-2022. Results: It can be established that it is the generalist newspapers that generate the most publications on lobbying. Discussion: Based on previous studies (Castillo-Esparcia et al., 2017), the presence of lobbies in the media continues to be evident and constant, as has been observed in the field study carried out. Conclusions: Lobbies use the media as a tool to exert indirect influence on public policy decisions, forcing policymakers to listen to the majority opinion of society.