The Populist Communication Style: Toward a Critical Framework

Abstract

This article seeks to understand the advance and allure of populism and the populist communication style in the era of mediatization. It proposes a critical framework based on three categories—identity construction, rhetorical style, and relationship with media—to assess the relevant features of the communicative styles of specific populist actors of right and left, in power relations, in their own settings and time. The framework is employed to assess the communicative styles of left-wing late Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez and former right-wing leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party Nigel Farage—two political actors who would not usually be considered as likely populist bedfellows.