4.2 - The Influence of the Media Flashcards
What do all broadcasters have to do in the UK?
All broadcasters in the UK (BBC, ITV, etc) bound by law to remain neutral
What does research indicate about the importance of broadcasters?
Research indicates that TV and radio broadcasts are still the main sources of info for voters in UK election campaigns
What do broadcasters host in the political scene?
Broadcasters do host national leadership debates which have some influence on voters but limited
What do parties use broadcasters for?
Overall parties use broadcasters to put their message across, but expect no special advantage from this type of media
Is there regulation on the press media?
Unlike broadcasters there is no press regulation on terms of political bias in the UK and most newspapers are highly politicised and influenced by the ownership of the paper and their readership
Is there a significant correlation between newspapers and readership?
- The two largest circulation tabloids, the Sun and the Daily Mail, both support Cons, reflecting the attitudes of the owners of these papers
- This suggests that, at first sight, newspapers do influence the way people vote, but this may be an illusion
- Research suggests that newspapers tend to reflect the typical political views of their readers, rather than lead them
- Likely a two-way process as papers may also reinforce existing political attitudes, but do little to change them
Evidence against the importance of newspapers?
Greatest evidence against the importance of the press is that JC’s Labs recieved 40% of the vote despite only one paper (The Mirror) backing it
What do parties and govs use social media for?
Parties and gov increasingly use social media to communicate with the public and ‘listen in’ to the voters – but to early to assess its true impact
Regulation status of social media?
Unlike broadcasters, social media is unregulated so there are opportunities for any group to gain some political traction – esp useful for smaller parties, though still havn’t been able to make a major breakthrough yet
How can social media’s true impact be measured?
Social media’s real impact is in the way it is reported by traditional media – traditional media increasingly report on opinions and issues popularised by social media – these issues then become established in the mainstream media and mainstream political debate
Example of social media being exploited?
Publication of reports of Russian interference in UK general elections does indicate that social media provides groups with malicious intent the opportunity to influence UK elections – more apparent with developments such as Cambridge Analytica and ‘fake news’
Other potential negative aspects of social media?
Social media is also a ‘political echo chamber’ - those with political views are shown videos of people with those same political views – contributing to false impression of a social media tsunami EG 2019
1979 - Key media moment
The Sun issued a headline titles “Crisis, what crisis?” as Jim Callaghan’s reaction to the Winter of Discontent
1979 - How the media moment may have influenced the outcome of the election?
Callaghan never actually said crisis what crisis, but it caught public imagination, suggesting he was out of touch with public opinion, thereby swinging opinion against a formerly popular PM
1979 - How the media moment may NOT have influenced the outcome of the election?
Polls showed that Callaghan remained personally popular throughout the election and was actually far ahead of Thatcher – he was actually Lab’s biggest asset
1997 - Key media moment?
The Sun switching support from Cons to Lab
1997 - How the media moment may have influenced the outcome of the election?
The Sun (and most of the rest of the press) publicly switched support to Blair and New Lab, persuading many former Con voters to vote Lab instead
1997 - How the media moment may have NOT influenced the election result?
Polls suggested Lab was on course for a large victory anyway – the Sun and the rest of the press were simply reacting to the existing situation
2019 - Key media moment?
Facebook advertising
2019 - How the key media moment may have influenced the outcome of the election?
At the start of Dec 2019, the Facebook ad library showed the Cons had 2500 live paid-for ads while Lab only had 250 – Cons went on to seal a huge victory over Lab
2019 - How the key media moment may have NOT influenced the outcome of the election?
At the same time, the Lib Dems had 3000 paid ads on Facebook, more than the Cons, yet still lost seats
What role does the media play between elections? (2)
- The media help to provide a commentary on political events in between elections
- It can also be a forum for public debate and discussion, and act as a bridge between constituents and their elected representatives
How has the tabloid press evolved since the 1980s? (2)
- Tabloid press increasingly partisan due to the rise of social media
- Tabloids becoming more focused on scandals and mocking politicians they oppose rather than providing information and informed debate
How has the media evolved since the 1980s? (3)
- The media prioritising negative stories over positive ones contributes to a sense of national cynicism towards politics and politicians
- By focusing ever-more on party leaders, the media has turned politicians into celebrities rather than focusing on their abilities and public service – helped make politicians a form of mass entertainment
- The development of 24-hour news has caused media outlets to fill slots with minor issues that shouldn’t be as important as they are made out to be
