Couldry meets Bourdieu: media meta-capital, symbolic violence, and the ‘hidden persuasion’ of print newspaper populism during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign

The UK wide European Union membership (Brexit) referendum on the 23rd of June 2016 is arguably the most significant socio-political event in modern British and European history. It represents the first instance of an influential EU member state organising a plebiscite on continuing membership and is distinguished by a result that largely defied expectations. Campaigning began when the referendum date was announced on the 20th of February, nearly two months before the start of the official 10-week campaign on the 15th of April and the Leave and Remain movements both relied heavily on social and traditional media forms to communicate with the voting public. Much of the subsequent discourse proved to be less about reasoned and constructive argumentation than the recourse to negativity and provocative political stunts. Since the referendum, virtually every aspect of British social, economic, and political life has been impacted by the decision to leave the EU. Moreover, the result continues to reverberate across the European continent, prompting on-going discussion about the continuing viability of the EU. It is within the context of this unprecedented event that the current study examines the ideologization of print newspaper discourse and takes as a case in point the ideological construction of cultural identity in Daily Mail and The Guardian print editions published during the referendum campaign. Utilising concepts and insights from the field of critical discourse analysis (CDA), the research explores the intersection of culture, populism and political events by investigating the construction and mobilisation of ‘the people’ as a source of political authority. The study reveals the deployment of symbolic resources during this deeply divisive socio-political event, confirming not only the power of media elites to impinge on the ability of individuals to critically analyse political events, but also the continuing relevance of print newspapers as an influential medium for shaping culture and identity. A key finding from this study is that symbolically violent language is idiosyncratic of both the ‘popular’ and the ‘quality’ press. Ultimately, the current study raises new questions about the capacity of citizens to make informed political decisions in a media environment increasingly oriented around populism.