Topic of thesis: The effects of media coverage of migration on populist attitudes in Macedonia

Abstract: Opposition to immigration has been one of the ideological pillars of Western European right-wing populists, and a major reason for their parties' recent electoral success. However, much less attention has been dedicated to the post-communist East, where illiberal populism has flourished despite the absence of the immigrants, and therefore the immigration issue in the public sphere. The situation changed in 2015 with the escalation of the Syrian war and the establishment of the 'Balkan migrant route', as the salience of immigration issue has suddenly placed it among the priorities on the political agenda. As this salience owes a great deal to the crisis' press coverage, this research investigates the impact media had in the populist demand, manifested through public distrust in elite institutions such as liberal-biased mainstream media, preferences for strong leadership, and Euroskepticism. A series of experiments conducted in Macedonia - a country on the Balkan route ruled by a populist party - follow a similar pattern to illuminate these manifestations of populist attitudes as a causal effect of migration coverage in the media: exposure to content on the topic of the 'migrant crisis', and tapping its influence on individual perceptions of media hostility, preferences for a presidential system, and conceptions of a European/EU identity

Research interests: Immigration, Media, Public Opinion, Populism, Nationalism

Graduated from: South East European University Tetovo (BA) Aarhus University (MA) University of Amsterdam (MA)

Degrees obtained: BA in Communication Science MA in Political Communication

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