Médiatisation et hiérarchisation du militantisme. Le cas d’un collectif de désobéissance civile

Based on an ethnographic study in a French organization of civil disobedience and on interviews with journalists who covered its actions, this article examines the relationship between media and activism. It shows that media coverage of the protest organization under study strongly interacts with its internal structure. The omnipresence of journalists contributes to verticalize relations between activists, strengthening the leader’s domination over the rest of the group and that of employees over volunteers. This process contributes to personalize the organization and to increase the material and symbolic rewards attached to the position of the leader.