Do Politicians Knowingly Create Conflict to Gain Media Attention? How Politicians Navigate a Mediatized Environment Characterized by Negativity and Conflict

Given the importance of negativity and conflict in political news, it is assumed that politicians strategically seek conflict or emphasize negativity to secure media coverage. Existing research investigating politicians’ self-mediatization relies on surveys or content analyses, and we have, therefore, little in-depth insight into how politicians navigate the news media’s strong focus on conflict and negativity. Addressing this gap, we conducted 31 interviews with Dutch MPs. Our findings reveal that while MPs recognize the media’s impact on the political realm and fellow politicians, their own adaptation to the media’s preference for negativity and conflict is a strategic and deliberate choice.