Journalist: Politicians attack media to gain popularity

Politicians are increasingly attacking traditional media outlets as a strategy to gain popularity, according to Dainora Pankūnė, editor of political news at the portal Delfi. She observes that this tactic is employed to curry favor with audiences, as the media often cannot directly retaliate against such public criticism.

“

It has become such an object of political discussion.

Pankūnė explained that this constant barrage of criticism creates significant emotional strain for journalists. Some colleagues, she noted, hesitate to speak proactively about their work due to fear of immediate negative reactions and insults, such as being labeled a "scoundrel journalist." This hostile environment, she said, is becoming a common topic in political discourse.

She also pointed to the role of political sympathies in shaping public perception of journalists. When media reports negatively on a favored politician, individuals may automatically dismiss the journalist as bad rather than questioning the accuracy of the facts presented. This, Pankūnė suggested, is a human weakness that leads to labeling journalists negatively simply because they do not confirm a person's pre-existing beliefs.

“

There are colleagues who, not because they are ashamed, certainly not, but because they are afraid of the reaction, sometimes avoid proactively saying where they work, because immediately it's like: 'Oh, you're a scoundrel journalist.' Such an insulting tone, mocking.

Pankūnė strongly disapproves of politicians publicly demeaning journalists or using uncensored rhetoric against them. She believes that while politicians and media professionals can be opponents, they should not be enemies. The trend of criticizing the media is seen as fashionable and easy, particularly appealing to a segment of the electorate that feels a general resentment towards both politicians and the press, viewing them as colluding against the rest of the country.

“

It's very human: if the media writes negatively about my favorite politician, I don't like the media that writes. This is perhaps such a human weakness to immediately think that this journalist is bad because he wrote badly about the person I like, instead of asking myself the question and questioning: wait, maybe he really wrote the correct facts?

This phenomenon is not unique to Lithuania, Pankūnė added, noting similar trends observed internationally, such as in the United States. She herself has encountered threats and insulting messages in the past, illustrating the personal impact of such public attacks.

“

I negatively assess, as with any other disrespectful tone towards any other person. I regret that this is the case, but, as I mentioned, I associate it more with the desire to gain popularity points, because criticizing the media is very fashionable, simple, and popular, especially in the eyes of a certain electorate that feels a general indignation towards everything – first of all politicians and the media, because they consider them to have colluded against the rest of Lithuania.