Commandos, frigates, and other media imaginations: Aspects of media discourse in the 2023 Greek political leaders’ debate

Abstract

Political communication research on televised political debates has focused primarily on the roles and performances of politicians, subsequent news coverage or party statements (“the debate about the debate”) and public discussions of social media users. Following a different perspective, this study analyses journalistic discourses during the televised debate among Greek political leaders ahead of the 2023 general election. It examines through Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) whether and how journalistic questions reflect the Polarized Pluralist Model of media systems in an age of increased mediatisation. Guided by four research questions, this study: a) investigated whether news values were prioritised over the political agenda, b) analysed journalists’ evaluative comments (adjectives and metaphors), c) examined types of journalistic criticism towards political leaders and d) explored whether follow-up questions were actually predetermined by the journalists. The findings highlighted the dominance of a particular media logic which encompasses ideological orientations, power displays and corporate status in line with the Polarized Pluralist Model.