Mainstreaming the populist radical right? Brussels-based media coverage of the 2022 French presidential elections

In debates on the ‘mainstreaming’ of populist radical right parties (PRRPs), the media’s role is central. This article explores how PRRPs are covered by Brussels-based media focused on EU politics whose coverage caters to an elite readership working in European affairs amplifies their influence over the pan-European political agenda. This research constructs a conceptual framework combining work on ‘mainstreaming’ and ‘pariahing’ with studies on how media participate in boundary maintenance between the acceptable and unacceptable within a democracy, especially Hallin’s identification of ‘spheres of reporting’. It uses this framework to analyse coverage from Politico Europe, Euronews and Euractiv of Rassemblement National’s Marine Le Pen and Reconquête’s Éric Zemmour during the 2022 French presidential election. The analysis indicates that in EU media, Le Pen is moving towards the line between mainstream and pariah parties, with comparisons to Zemmour aiding her mainstreaming, though neither candidate is fully treated as mainstream.