How the media cordon sanitaire crumbles: lessons from Germany

Far-right parties have been electorally successful in recent elections in many Western democracies. Previous research shows that mainstream actors, including mainstream parties and the media, contribute to the success of far-right parties by accommodating far-right ideas and fostering their wider societal acceptance. However, we lack a clear understanding of the factors that influence media responses to the far right. Combining research on political communication, media, and the far right, this article develops a framework to analyse the rationales behind journalists’ responses, ranging from accommodation to the implementation of a media cordon sanitaire. The empirical study focuses on journalists’ responses to the far right in Germany, where the political opportunities for the far right are expanding. Based on semi-structured interviews with editors-in-chief, political editors, and journalists reporting on the far right from different media outlets and regions, the article provides novel insights into the constraints and obstacles they face. The findings highlight that a combination of self-imposed and external pressure from the far right, alongside institutional constraints, prompted journalists to adopt responses that contributed to the mainstreaming of the far right. Overall, this article enhances our understanding of journalists’ challenges and opportunities in responding to the far right in liberal democracies.