Driven by Politics? Comparative Evidence on Journalists’ Perceived Political Influences Over Time

This study explored how journalists’ perceptions of political influences altered over nearly a decade, between the mid-2010s and the mid-2020s, using comparative data from 54 countries collected in two waves of the Worlds of Journalism Study and data assessing the political contexts of these countries. To interpret the temporal dynamics, we proposed a “filter model” that links the broader political context to perceived political influences through successive stages, each of which can dampen, redirect or override systemic factors. Examining the interplay between political influences and external political developments, the study showed that journalists’ perceptions were consistently related to indicators of democratic performance, underscoring the importance of national and regional contextual factors that shape journalistic cultures. Rather than a universal increase or decrease, perceived political influences evolved unevenly across countries. These uneven trajectories correlated with changes in democracy measures, such as the Freedom in the World index, although less strongly than expected. This pattern is consistent with the filter model: organisational structures, journalistic practices and routines and individual perspectives can absorb, redirect or even mask changes in the political environment, so that journalists’ perceptions do not simply mirror the changes in political realities.