Exploring the distinction between populism <i>through</i> and <i>by</i> the media from a visual perspective: representations of German politicians on magazine covers of <i>Der Spiegel</i> and <i>Compact</i>
Journal: Visual Communication
Year: 2023

By drawing on a communication-based approach to populism, this article argues that populism research should put more emphasis on the performative and stylistic dimension of the phenomenon, including its visual elements, in different media formats. The study theoretically refers to the distinction of populism through and by the media, which has been discussed to a great extent in populist political communication research. Empirically, the author focuses on visual representations of politicians on