Referendums in hybrid media environments

Referendum campaigns increasingly unfold within hybrid media environments, where information circulates across both traditional news outlets and social media platforms. In this article, we review recent empirical research to explore how political communication scholars are addressing this shift – and what it implies for referendum cultures and the quality of public debate. Our findings reveal several concerning developments, particularly the rise of disinformation and misinformation in various contexts. However, we also observe that challenges to the quality of public debates – such as issues of balance and accuracy – are not solely attributable to the emergence of social media. Using Switzerland as a litmus test case, we identify a comparatively robust referendum culture that persists despite the growing influence of social media. This resilience may be due to strong traditional news media that continue to hold political elites accountable. As international discussions on regulating social media platforms gain momentum, our article invites comparative legal scholars to broaden their analyses. We propose integrating legal perspectives on safeguards for healthy referendum campaigns with a holistic understanding of hybrid media environments – one that considers the role of political elites, the fairness of media coverage, and citizens’ actual news consumption.