4.2 The Influence of the Media Flashcards
1
Q
What is a limitation to ‘The Sun Wot Won it’ (1992)
A
60% of readers still voted Lab
2
Q
3
Describe rational choice theory
A
- Voters consider strengths and weaknesses of each party
- Expressive rational voting - voting for party that will benefit society
- Instrumental rational voting - vote for party likely to benefit themselves
3
Q
3
What is the impact of TV and TV debates in UK Politics
A
- Affect leader image
- Governing competency
- esp with head-to-head debating
4
Q
2
Give examples of the importance of TV and TV debates in UK Politics
A
- Neil Kinnock Sheffield Rally 1992 - ‘we’re all right’ mocked - arguably led to defeat
- 2010 debate - Cleggmania - snap poll showed 24% inc in support
5
Q
2
Give examples of the limited importance of TV and TV debates in UK Politics
A
- 1992 - Sheffield Rally occurred only week before elec - does not alone account for diff in polls and result
- 2010 - LD only inc vote share by 1%
6
Q
4
Describe social media’s impact on UK Politics
A
- Increasingly effective avenue for political campaigning
- Speeds up process of issues taking political centre stage
- Targeted ads towards demographics (age, gender, region, etc)
- 2015 - UKIP spent large proportion of campaign budget on Facebook targeted ads - won 12.5% of vote
7
Q
2
Describe the negative effects of social media on politics
A
- Misleading claims - fact check - hinders democracy (e.g. 72m Turkish immigrants in EU Ref)
- Soundbites can reduce trust in politics, thus damaging democracy
8
Q
3
Describe the limits to social media’s influence on UK Politics
A
- Online news sources accessed more - 44% accessed BBC news during 2019 elec according to survey
- social media acts as echo chamber - content consumed by users largely affirms views
- 2019 - Con halved spending on social media ads (in spite of winter election)
9
Q
5
Describe Tik Tok’s impact on UK Politics
A
- Growing political influence, esp on Gen Z
- George Galloway, Akhmed Yakoob
- Some MPs, like Grant Shapps, have Tik Tok accounts
- Banned on govt phones and on Westminster estate
- Influence in events: Ukraine, BLM
10
Q
4
Describe broadcast media’s impact on UK Politics
A
- TV and radio
- OFCOM - regulate/monitor coverage
- Idea of ‘spin’, or a spin doctor
- New TV channels e.g. GB News with Farage as host
11
Q
4 - total viewership, age, class
Give stats on the broadcast media
A
- 70% access TV for news
- 94% over 65s use TV for news
- 50% 16-24 yr old
- Constant across class
12
Q
4
Describe a well-known spin doctor
A
- Lord Mandelson
- Central figure in New Lab
- former TV executive - media savvy
- named ‘Prince of Darkness’
13
Q
5
Describe the BBC
A
- Chairman - political appointee, Director-General - non-political appointee
- ‘Impartial news’ - free from political interference
- Most pop broadcaster
- Most used news website/app - 28% total usage of news sites in 2019 election campaign
14
Q
2
Describe recent news concerning the BBC
A
- Gary Lineker - suspension and subsequent presenter walkout
- Sharp - £800k loan for Boris Johnson
15
Q
3
Describe satire
A
- TV - HIGNFY, The Thick of It
- Print - Private Eye
- Limitation - spitting Image revival cancelled after 2 seasons, implying low ratings and impact
16
Q
4
Describe the Iraq War and the media
A
- Led by New Lab and Blair
- Backed by Con and most papers
- Public trust crisis - involvement had no basis with no ‘weapons of mass destruction’
- BBC news leak - David Kelly (Weapons Expert) claimed that Downing St had over exaggerated Iraq’s arms capabilities
17
Q
5
Describe the electoral impact of the Iraq War
A
- 2005 elec
- Lab majority reduced from 167 to 66
- LD inc vote seats to 62 (+11) - did not back Iraq War
- Lab won with 22% electorate support - legitimacy questioned
- SNP defeated Lab in 2007 Scottish elecs
18
Q
What is dominant ideology theory?
A
emphasises that ideas, beliefs and culture of ruling elite will prevail to safeguard status quo
19
Q
7
Describe the circulation of newspapers
A
- Decline in circulation
- Fall of 52% by 2018
- Bestsellers: The Sun and The Daily Mail
- Free: Metro and Evening Standard
- Online only: The Independent (excluding the i)
- Move online - compete with news websites e.g. BBC News
- Decline of trust e.g. hacking
20
Q
5
Describe the readership of newspapers
A
- 58% of over 65s
- 20% of 16-24s
- Upper classes: The Guardian, The Times
- Working classes: The Sun, Daily Mirror
- All classes: Daily Mail, Daily Express
21
Q
7
Describe The Sun
A
- ‘The Sun Wot Won it’ 1992
- Backed New Lab in 1997, 2001, 2005 - disagreements with John Major over European policy
- Murdoch got Blair to commit to pound - would not take Britain into eurozone without ref
- 2010 election - switches to Cameron - ‘Our Only Hope’
- Built conservative euroscepticism over many years
- EU Ref - ran controversial headline ‘Queen backs Brexit’
- Defamed Jeremy Corbyn and his policies in 2017/2019
22
Q
3
Describe the Guardian
A
- Notable online prescence - 18.4m monthly online visits
- Higher AB readership
- Back LD or Lab
23
Q
9
Describe the Daily Mail
A
- Avg age - 58
- Middle market tabloid
- 52-55% female readership
- twice as many ABC1 readers as C2DE
- Stephen Lawrence ‘murderers’ headline
- Supported Con every election
- Focus on small boats crisis
- Corbyn team - ‘apologists for terror’
- Owned by DMGT - Rothermere
24
Q
5
Describe the Times
A
- Murdoch press empire
- Supported Remain
- Backed New Lab in 2001 and 2005 (not 1997)
- High ABC1 readership, esp among age 25-44
- Backed Rishi Sunak in 2022 leadership elec
25
# 6
Describe the Telegraph
* Consistently backed Con since 1945
* Supported Liz Truss in 2022 leadership election
* Supported Leave
* Boris Johnson former editor
* Broke Expenses Scandal 2009
* Owners - Barclay brothers
26
# 4
Describe the Daily Mirror
* Backed Lab at every election
* Banned from Con 2019 elec campaign
* Owned by Reach plc (own 240 regional publications)
* Higher C2DE readership
27
# 4
Describe the ownership of UK newspapers
* 90% of UK-wide print media owned by 3 companies
* Reach plc (Daily Mirror)
* News UK (Murdoch)
* DMG Media (Daily Mail)
28
# 6
Describe the effects of the Millie Dowler phone hacking scandal
* News of the World closed 6 days after Guardian report
* Andy Coulson, No10 Director of Comms, resigned (editor of World of the News from 2003-2007)
* Rebekah Brooks now CEO of News UK
* Idea of press having ‘power without responsibility’
* Led to Leveson Inquiry - replaced PCC (self-regualtion) with IPSO (independent regulation)
* Meghan+Harry sued Daily Mail for invasion of privacy
29
Newspapers essay
finish
30
# 4
Describe the PM and the media
* Media focus - rise in presidentialism
* 'Spin Doctor'
* Truss - social media use
* Sunak - 'Ready for Rishi', gaffes
31
# 3
Describe opinion polls
* Surveys on a selected sample on political issues
* conducted by a research organisation (e.g. YouGov)
* commissioned by an organisation (e.g. The Times)
32
# 4
Describe the purpose of opinion polls
* establish voter intention
* investigate govt/leader approval
* investigate policy opinion
* examine salient/valence issue
33
# 5
Describe the influences of opinion polls
* Voting behaviour, esp turnout - shy tories 1992
* Position of leader - Liz Truss ousted after polls showed 80% held unfavourable view
* Campaigns - Lab-SNP coalition 2015
* Policy - 2010 polls showcasing imm as important issue led to Con pledge to limit net migration to ‘tens of thousands’
* Date of election - ‘botched’ election 2007, 2024 election
34
# 2
How did close polling affect the 2015 election
* 2015 final poll showed Con and Lab tied on 34% (Populus)
* 2015 turnout of 66.4% (+1.3%)
35
# 3
Evaluate the view that opinion polls strengthen democracy
* **Provide key channel for political communication** - inform political parties about public opinion -> policy changes in response (e.g. Con 2010 imm) + Rwanda vs **lead to parties making rash decisions** - role of incumbent party to make and win arguments rather than slavishly follow polls (e.g. u-turn on pasty tax in 'omnishambles budget' 2012)
* **inform public debate and drive turnout** - facilitate voter engagement (e.g. EU ref 2016) vs **deplete turnout** - reduce participation and pluralism (e..g 2001 - 59%)
* **Make govt accountable for unpop decisions and policies** - used by pressure groups, backbenchers, etc (e.g. COVID Recovery Group) vs **responses equate to misinformation** (e.g. Lab-SNP coalition 2015)
36
# 3
Describe the People Polling May 2024 poll
* Forecast 6% Westminster voting intention for SNP in Scotland subsample
* Diverges significantly from other polls - likely farcical
* May be due to diff methods used, Matt Goodwin owned
| Matt Goodwin owned
37
Who did the Economist/FT endorse in the 2015 election?
A conservative-led coaliton
