Keyword – penal populism

Barki, Bálint:

Media and penal populism

This paper is to explore the role of the media in the rise of penal populism. First, it delineates the concepts of criminal and of penal policies and situates penal populism in this context. Then it addresses the relationship between penal populism and media and outlines the social causes that may contribute to the rise of penal populism. Finally, it offers a description of two early penal populist moves in Hungary, with a focus on the reasons for their introduction and on their media coverage. Penal populism is a form of criminal policy whereby professional considerations are subordinated to political ones aimed at vote maximalisation—but ignoring the potential societal consequences

Keywords: crime representation, media, penal populism, public opinion, vote maximisation