Nothing on the news but the establishment blues? Toward a framework of depoliticization and agonistic media pluralism

Abstract

Mainstream news media have been criticized for serving as marketing agents of establishment ideas and elite voices. In response, this article introduces an analytical framework of agonistic media pluralism that enables an evaluation of media discourse on whether it opens or closes the space for a democratic debate about and beyond established social structures and ways of life. Theoretically, this framework draws from post-foundational political thought, agonistic democratic theory, and post-politics. Methodologically, it consists of a critical discourse analysis that combines four levels of analysis: the ideological conflict underlying a social issue, the scope and form of media discourse, the ideological culture of a media outlet, and the level of agonistic pluralism in a media landscape. Special attention is paid to how particular discursive strategies either open (i.e. cultivate or politicize) or close (i.e. depoliticize) a debate. It concludes by sketching some future research avenues.