Does the media influence electoral outcomes? Flashcards
Outline the media moment that occured in 1979
The Sun issued a headline saying ‘Crisis? What crisis?’ as Jim Callaghan’s reaction to the Winter of Discontent
Outline the media moment that occured in 1997
The Sun switched their support from the conservatives to labour
Outline the media moment that occured in 2010
The first televised debate was won by Nick Clegg
Outline the media moment that occured in 2015
The televised leaders’ debate
Outline the media moment that occured in 2019
Facebook advertising
How did the media influence the electoral outcome in 1979?
Jim Callaghan never said this, but it still caught public imagination, suggesting that he was out of touch with public opinion, thereby swinging public opinion against a formerly popular PM
How did the media influence the electoral outcome in 1997?
The Sun publicly switched their support to Blair and New Labour, persuading many former conservative voters to vote labour instead
How did the media influence the electoral outcome in 2010?
Raised the profile of Clegg at the expense of Cameron, perhaps costing the conservatives the votes needed for an outright majority
How did the media influence the electoral outcome in 2015?
Ed Miliband’s poor performance made him seem less prime ministerial than Cameron
How did the media influence the electoral outcome in 2019?
The conservatives had paid for 2500 facebook ads, while labour had only paid for 250. The conservatives would go on to enjoy a large victory over labour
Counter the idea that the media was influential in 1979
Polls showed that Callaghan remained personally popular throughout the election and was far ahead of Thatcher in this respect; he was actually labour’s greatest asset
Counter the idea that the media was influential in 1997
Polls suggested labour was on course for a large victory anyway. The Sun were simply reacting to the existing situation
Counter the idea that the media was influential in 2010
The Lib Dems only increased their popular vote by 1% nationally and actually lost seats suggested any impact from the debate was limited at best
Counter the idea that the media was influential in 2015
Opinion polls suggested the debate made no real difference to voting, merely confirming existing intentions
Counter the idea that the media was influential in 2019
The Lib Dems had 3000 paid acts on facebook, more than the conservatives, yet still lost seats
