Media Impact in the Election Campaign under the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This article explores the extent to which new and traditional media shaped the election campaign during the pandemic in Kosovo. Drawing on media monitoring and surveying, we find that media do not have a determining role during the election campaign, regardless of the quality and frequency of their use by political parties and candidates. Under the conditions of an ever-greater use of social media, we find that voting preferences and affinity towards specific political parties and candidates is a long-term process that cannot be changed by the quality of the election campaign. On the other hand, regardless of the use of social media, their potential impact turns out to be conditioned by the usage duration and the ability of political entities to interact with the audience.