No Escape From the Media Gates? How Public Support and Issue Salience Shape Interest Groups’ Media Prominence

Abstract

This study adopts an issue-specific approach to explain interest groups’ media prominence. Contrary to the classic presumption that groups confronted with public opposition invariably manage to escape the public spotlight, the results—based on a news content analysis of 196 positions expressed by 68 Belgian groups on 56 issues—show that on salient issues, some groups defending unpopular positions gain substantial prominence. Not only is media prominence used to pressure policymakers, but especially for salient issues, groups get pulled into the news to counteract adversaries and secure ties with their organizational constituencies.