Refusing to be Silenced: Critical Journalism, Populism and the Post-Truth Condition

A fundamental rejection of mainstream journalism has become a standard feature in the playbook of populist actors. Beyond a potentially legitimate critique of mainstream journalism, populist actors construe mainstream media as part of a corrupt liberal elite that is out of touch with reality as it is experienced by the pure/authentic people. In the literature on post-truth politics, the populist delegitimation of mainstream media has not yet received much attention, in particular as regards the experiences of journalists who are frequently confronted with physical and/or verbal intimidation and/or abuse. This chapter contributes to the literature on post-truth politics by addressing precisely this gap. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with journalists from prominent German TV outlets, the chapter explores journalists’ experiences and analyzes how such experiences contributes to the development of a post-truth political culture. Based on the intimate link between post-truth politics and populism, the chapter argues that the delegitmation of mainstream journalism has created an increasingly hostile climate for journalists that is reflected in an increasing frequency of verbal and physical attacks on journalists. This development has to be understood as part of an effort to silence the voice of critical journalism. Due to the fact that (liberal) democracy requires that citizens have access to reliable sources of information, efforts to silence the voice of critical journalism therefore need to be seen as a crucial step in the creation of – rather than as the symptom of an already existing – post-truth condition.