^aCentre d'études européennes 117 boulevard St-Germain 75006 Paris, France. E-mail: guillaume.garcia@free.fr

Abstract

Using the mass media to attract the public's attention to a cause is an ongoing tendency of contemporary politics, particularly in the case of 'excluded' groups. Literature in this domain emphasizes the conservative position of mass media. This article aims to nuance this perspective by retracing some particular features of the French case, through a comparative study of homeless, illegal immigrant and unemployed movements in TV news. Even victims of social exclusion can gain some space and weight in the public arena, via the media and especially television. This emergence is nevertheless mitigated. The loss of radicalism of their discourse confirms the general tendency of mass media to depoliticize the most subversive of new issues, although this process has quite complex and subtle features.