Media Capture, Survival of the Corruptest and Journalistic Agency: The Case of Bulgaria

Democratic backsliding has been on the rise globally, including in the established and transitional democracies of the Global North, with populist leaders adopting similar practices of undermining the epistemology of journalism or attempting to capture news media outright. A representative survey with 391 Bulgarian journalists conducted as part of the Worlds of Journalism Study in 2021–2024 shows that corruption through the misuse of European and national funds has become one of the main survival mechanisms for their news outlets. This is complemented on a personal level with the finding that nearly two in five journalists have been forced to hold a second job, which has often led to conflict-of-interest issues. The Bulgarian case study is an excellent illustration of the consequences of a 13-year-long rule by populist leader Boyko Borisov and concurrent practices of Berlusconization and media capture in this Eastern European country, which for over a decade (2011–2022) had the lowest press freedom ranking among all European Union member states. The study shows an increased recognition among journalists of the power of journalistic agency, that is, their own role in the media capture process. The link between journalistic agency and media capture is of essential importance but has not been studied sufficiently.