Managing the Media and Politicians’ Relationship in the Context of the Independence Referendums in Scotland and Catalonia

According to the media system models established by Hallin and Mancini (2004) the relationship between the media and the political sphere is highly professionalized in Scotland whereas in Catalonia there is a closer relationship between both spheres. In that sense, it can be assumed that the way political parties are managing their media relationships in the context of the independence referendums can be divergent. This article explores the relationship between the political and the media sphere from the perspective of the political public relations practitioners that manage media relations within political parties in Catalonia and Scotland. The goal is to analyse how these practitioners understand and control these relationships in a context of high political activity such as the independence debate in Scotland and the campaign for a possible referendum in Catalonia.