Navigating Political Polarization in News Production: The Case of Italy

Abstract

This study looks at political polarization from Italian political journalists’ perspectives and investigates (a) how they conceive political polarization and (b) how they navigate it in their daily work. Empirical data shed light on a number of main factors shaping journalists’ perceptions of political polarization, pinpointing the existence of “media polarization.” The findings also revealed five ideal-typical strategies adopted to deal with a polarized environment: mitigating, aligning, nurturing, creating, and ignoring polarization. The reflections proposed throughout the article suggest new perspectives through which to analyze the topic, fostering a debate beyond the case study.