SRG Ombudsman: Term right-wing populism used correctly

A television viewer had complained about the frequent use of the term in a "10vor10" program about the FPÖ. In the program, the news magazine discussed the FPÖ's record result in the presidential election in Austria and the success of right-wing populism in the rest of Europe. One viewer criticized that the term populism was subjective and clearly had negative connotations. The accusation was repeated mantra-like in the program. This serves to stir up opinion against those who think differently.

For ombudsman Blum and those responsible at SRF, the choice of words was legitimate and correct, as Blum writes in his statement published on Tuesday. Blum thus agrees with the assessment of Christian Dütschler, the editorial director of "10vor10". In his statement, he wrote that right-wing populism is a term used by the media and academia that stands for a certain type of party and is not meant to be derogatory per se. In the media, the term is generally used for parties such as the FPÖ, the Front National in France or the AfD in Germany. Dütschler and Blum cite various definitions of the term "populism". According to them, the most important characteristics of this phenomenon include rejection of elites and institutions, permanent reference to the people and "common sense", polarization, emotionalization and personalization. The term was therefore used appropriately. In response to the accusation of propaganda through repetition, Dütschler wrote that the multiple use of a term is common journalistic practice. It serves to make a phenomenon understandable, especially when the audience cannot be expected to have too much prior knowledge. (SDA)