The Box Trumps the Net? Mediatising the 2012 Presidential Campaign

Abstract

This article analyses and evaluates the role of the media in the 2012 presidential election. In particular, it focuses on campaign coverage by television and the internet from the perspective of both the main candidates' usage of the media (candidate communication) and the media's coverage of the campaign (political reportage and commentary). It argues that television, the dominant medium in the era of modern campaigning, was the main information and communication platform for the mass electorate, while the internet, the medium of the postmodern era, was an important tool for the mobilisation of committed and potential supporters. The article explains why this was the case and considers the implications for electoral communication in France.