Explaining what happens when ‘celebrity journalists’ run for elected office

Abstract

This article examines the concept of the ‘political celebrity’ through a consideration of career change from journalism to politics. The celebrity appeal of well-known journalists should make them ideal election candidates, particularly given the importance in contemporary politics of public profile and communication skills. While individuals with backgrounds in the media and journalism dominate the advisor ranks in politics, few decide to directly participate in political life by contesting for elected office. This article uses a specific case study to show the distinct ‘coverage bonus’ accruing to a ‘celebrity journalist’ seeking to transition into the world of elected politics. We are able to make a particular contribution to the literature on celebrity politics by focusing on this specific area of celebrity, and in our discussion we explore reasons why so few celebrity journalists exploit their specific campaign advantages in seeking public office.

Keywords:

• celebrity politics
• journalism
• political
• communication

Notes

1. Given some of Lee’s strident reporting on government budgetary policy it was speculated that he was considering political life, but reports that he was in talks with Fine Gael prior to 2009 were denied at the time (see for example Corcoran 1999).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kevin Rafter

Kevin Rafter is Associate Professor of Political Communication at Dublin City University, Ireland where he is also Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Prior to 2008 he was a political journalist with several media outlets in Dublin, including The Irish Times and RTÉ, the Irish national broadcaster. He is the editor of Irish Journalism Before Independence (Manchester University Press, 2011) and co-editor of Independent Newspapers: A History (Four Courts Press, 2012) and The Irish Presidency: Power, Ceremony and Politics (Irish Academic Press, 2014).

Cáit Hayes

Cáit Hayes is a former press and information officer with the Houses of the Oireachtas (Irish Parliament) and currently holds the position of broadcast manager for Oireachtas TV, the television service of the Irish Parliament. She is a graduate of the MA Political Communication programme at Dublin City University, Ireland.