Tailgater, Mouthpiece, or Magnifying glass? Italian Political Journalism in the Face of Populist Radical Right News Politicization

The rise of populist radical right (PRR) parties has prompted extensive research on the news media's role in mainstreaming their discourse. Yet, less attention has been devoted to the emergence of diversified approaches to PRR coverage across different professional segments of national journalistic landscapes. This paper analyzes how Italian newsrooms covered the politicization of a rape initiated by PRR leaders during the 2022 election campaign. Through a mixed-methods analysis of news articles, I show how outlets' approaches to the PRR's 'talk scandal' and the ensuing controversy diverge along two key dimensions: the space granted to politicians' discourse through quotes, and the prevailing news frames adopted, either echoing or marking a distance from politicians' narratives. Differences emerge at the intersection of outlets' ideological leaning and legacy vs. new-generation status. I identify three ideal-typical tendencies: a 'tailgater' approach in legacy, left-leaning newspapers; a 'mouthpiece' model among right-wing outlets, legacy and new-generation; and a 'magnifying glass' approach in new-generation and progressive newsrooms. This highlights how within-country variations in journalists' standards for treating political discourse shape dynamics of media mainstreaming of PRR narratives.