Mariyan Tomov
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
E-mail: mariyan.d.tomov@gmail.com
Lilia Raycheva
Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”
E-mail: lraycheva@yahoo.com
Abstract: As a globalization-related phenomenon, voluntary or forced migration gradually occupies a leading place in the social agenda. The migrant problem is getting ever more complicated owing to reasons of international and national character. So far the European Union has no firm concept or plan about handling the migration influx. Furthermore, the populist rhetoric of the nationalist parties has stepped up in an expression of discontent both with the European policies and with the national authorities. This is considered to be a dangerous trend, because catalyzing people’s apprehension may lead to escalation of negative public moods against the migrants. A very important and responsible role in this situation is that of the media. In this regard, the research of the impact of nationalistic populist political discourse on media ecology can outline important trends in contemporary communication processes. The aim of the article is two-fold: firstly, to examine the contemporary tendencies and challenges of the media ecosystem; and secondly, to present the results of a study on populist approaches to the migration problems reflected in the Bulgarian media. The study is part of an international European project within the COST IS 1308 Action: Populist political communication in Europe: Comprehending the Challenge of Mediated Political Populism for Democratic Politics aimed at comparative measuring of populist rhetoric. It is supported by projects DCOST 01/02-17.05.2017 and DCOST 01/25-20.12.2017 of the Bulgarian National Scientific Fund.
Keywords: media ecosystem, populism, migration, communication, media coverage.
Rhetoric and Communications E-journal, Issue 33, March 2018, rhetoric.bg/, journal.rhetoric.bg, ISSN 1314-4464