Media and Politics in Spain

Abstract

Spanish politics play out in the media. Political elites seek media access to promote new ideas and policy proposals, attack their political adversaries, and defend their party manifestos during the electoral campaign. They seek access because the attention derived from it allows those elites to exist or be present in the public mind (Castells, 2009; Iyengar and McGrady, 2007). The media has increasingly become a venue where political parties compete with each other in order to have influence over public policy: It has become a “space of power making” (Castells, 2009; Strömback and Van Aelst, 2013). While political elites may view media as a tool to be used, the media also follows its own logic and pursues its own goals that are independent from the routines and requirements of governmental actors and political parties. Understanding how political actors use the media and are portrayed in it demands attention to the dynamics and business logic of the media, why it covers politics, and what journalists and media outlets seek to gain by doing so.