Does the media influence support for populist parties? Does media coverage of issues like immigration, economy and political scandals exacerbate or merely reflect citizens’ feelings of anxiety and dissatisfaction with politics? Join Counterpoint UK for a current discussion panel exploring the possible effect of the media on the electoral prospects of UKIP, the Front National in France, the PVV in the Netherlands, and the Finns Party in Finland.

Confirmed speakers include Jiska Engelbert, Erasmus University Rotterdam (lead researcher on the project for the Netherlands), Erkka Railo, University of Turku (lead researcher on the project for Finland), Gael Villeneuve, Laboratoire Communication et Politique (lead researcher on the project for France), Martin Sandbu, Economics leader writer for the Financial Times, Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future and Suzanne Moore, Columnist for the Guardian. Catherine Fieschi, Director of Counterpoint, will moderate the event. More speakers will be confirmed soon.

The event will take place at the Lecture Theatre of the Free Word Centre, 60 Farringdon Road
, London, EC1R 3GA, from 18:30 to 20:00. Refreshments will be served from 18:00. The event is free of charge though registration is required.

Registration for the event: http://counterpoint.uk.com/events/shaping-the-vote-politics-and-populism-in-the-media/

The event is part of the project ‘Nurturing populism? The impact of the media on the growth of populist right-wing parties in Netherlands, France and Finland’, coordinated by Counterpoint and supported by the Foundation for Democracy and Media and the Wihuri Foundation.