Newspaper Press

Question 1

what is the newspaper press?

Answer 1

the newspaper press is the oldest form of media

it is under no obligation to offer impartiality or balanced reporting, making it highly politicised and giving it the potential to influence voting behaviour

however, whether the newspaper press actually influences voters is widely debated

Question 2

arguments to suggest that the newspaper press has a major influence on voting behaviour

Answer 2

shapes the public’s views of leaders and parties

tends to always support the winning party

other forms of media have questionable influence

Question 3

arguments to suggest that the newspaper press does not have a major influence on voting behaviour

Answer 3

negative reporting in the press has not always shaped public opinion

it seems to reinforce rather than change voters’ views

social media is becoming far more influential

Question 4

conclusion

Answer 4

the newspaper press does not have a major influence on voting behaviour anymore

Question 5

shape the public’s perception of leaders: how does the newspaper press do this?

Answer 5

shapes the public’s views of leaders and parties

this is especially significant considering that the UK has become more presidential, meaning that the perception of leaders has become more important than ever before and any negative reporting must have some kind of impact

the main way newspapers seem to shape public opinion in this way seems to be by reporting on scandals, and as there is no regulation in terms of political bias, this allows them to publish scathing attacks and ‘knocking campaigns’ designed to ruin reputations in ways that other forms of media cannot

thus, they seem to have the potential to influence voting behaviour far more than broadcasters like the BBC, who are bound to remain neutral and offer balanced reporting

such influence by the press is more possible now due to an increase in class and party dealignment – loyalties are more changeable, meaning that the press can change people’s opinions through the way they cover news stories

Question 6

shape the public’s perception of leaders: 1992

Answer 6

in 1992 the newspaper press reported on a number of sex and corruption scandals surrounding the Conservative Party, leading the party to be associated with the terms ‘sleaze’ and ‘nasty party’

which made it seem that they had well and truly abused their time in power

this appeared to swing public opinion towards Labour under Tony Blair, who then won a landslide victory in 1997

Question 7

shape the public’s perception of leaders: 1983

Answer 7

the newspaper press has also been seen to influence the public’s perceptions of leaders and in turn influence voting behaviour through its patriotic reporting on the Falklands War

this helped create the impression of Thatcher as the ‘Iron Lady’, portraying her as a strong and powerful leader, swinging public opinion towards her

arguably, this was a major contributing factor to her landslide victory in 1983

Question 8

do not shape the public’s perception of leaders: why might newspapers not have a major impact?

Answer 8

there is evidence to suggest that the newspaper press does not always successfully shape public opinion and influence voting behaviour

negative portrayals of leaders and parties in newspapers have not always resulted in the failure of those parties

in fact, some have been highly successful despite negative media portrayal

Question 9

do not shape the public’s perception of leaders: Jeremy Corbyn

Answer 9

during the 2017 election campaign, Jeremy Corbyn was treated unfairly in the newspaper press over his appearance and personality and was the victim of undeniably heavy bias and negative coverage

yet this anti-Corbyn bias did not seem to have any real effect because he was still extremely effective in his campaign and grew in popularity, costing Theresa May a majority

Question 10

do not shape the public’s perception of leaders: James Callaghan

Answer 10

despite the Sun’s knocking campaign of James Callaghan in 1979, opinion polls showed that he was generally ahead of Thatcher throughout the campaign

although he still lost the election, perhaps it was not the newspaper press that caused this

Question 11

do not shape the public’s perception of leaders: MPs’ expenses scandal

Answer 11

the reporting of the MPs’ expenses scandal in 2009 by the Daily Telegraph can be argued not to have had an influence

many claim that the revelations created immense distrust in politics and politicians, which is perhaps a reason for repeated low turnout as people no longer have faith in the political process

however, turnout at the following election was actually 4% higher, raising questions about the influence that the newspaper press actually has on voting behaviour

Question 12

tend to always support the winning party

Answer 12

some claim that the fact that newspapers tend to always support the winning party indicates that they do in fact have an impact on voting behaviour

it might not be a coincidence that the winning party at each election has been supported by the majority of the press

for example, in 2010 and 2015 the Daily Mirror was the only major paper that backed Labour

the Conservatives are also the most successful political party in terms of electoral victories and more newspapers support Conservatives than any other party, including the two largest newspapers (The Sun and The Daily Mail)

this seems to suggest that the press may decide the outcome of elections or at least have a major influence on how people vote

Question 13

tend to always support the winning party: The Sun

Answer 13

this was encapsulated in the famous 1992 headline by The Sun, stating “The Sun Wot Won It”

certainly, the importance of the press should not be discounted seeing as the Sun has backed the winning party at every election between 1979 and 2015, raising important questions about its influence

Question 14

tend to always support the winning party: 1979 and 1997

Answer 14

in 1979, The Sun’s negative campaigning against James Callaghan and clear support for the Conservatives can be said to have influenced voters

the headline “Crisis, what crisis?” suggested that Callaghan was out of touch with ordinary voters, thus turning voters against him in a time when they needed a leader who recognised the problems facing the country

then, in 1997 – the year of Labour’s astounding landslide victory – The Sun switched support from the Conservatives to Labour and many voters also switched their alliance

Question 15

do not shape views, merely reinforce them or reflect the views of the time

Answer 15

newspapers simply reinforce rather than influence voters

newspapers tend to reflect the typical political attitudes of their readers rather than leading them a certain way

they reinforce existing political views rather than change them as most people read newspapers that reflect their views and are unlikely to seek out and engage with media that conflicts with their standpoint, making the press unlikely to hugely influence them

Question 16

do not shape views, merely reinforce them or reflect the views of the time: 1997

Answer 16

the Sun may have backed every winner, but it seems to just mirror public opinion and there is no reliable evidence that it has ever actually changed opinion

take the 1997 election, in which it has been strongly argued that the Sun, who switched to support Labour, was only reacting to the prevailing mood of the time and reflecting the polls which were clearly favouring Labour

Question 17

do not shape views, merely reinforce them or reflect the views of the time: fall in Labour support even though they were supported by the Sun

Answer 17

the press seemed to have no influence at all because despite The Sun’s support, Labour support actually fell from 57% in 1996 to 43% in 1997

consequently, it can be argued that the newspaper press does not have a major influence on voting behaviour and the idea that the press’ backing of winning parties is anything more than a tactic to sell more newspapers by reflecting public opinion seems to be inaccurate

Question 18

other forms of media are more influential: circulation of newspaper is declining

Answer 18

the newspaper press does not have a major influence on voting behaviour because other forms of media are far more influential

circulation of newspapers has declined dramatically

the Sun’s circulation is now around 1.6 million, a dramatic decline from 3.8 million in 1997

similarly, The Daily Mail has a circulation of around 1.5 million, but this figure are is falling rather rapidly as less and less people are buying and reading newspapers

it is hard to say the press has influence when newspapers are only read by a small proportion of the public

Question 19

other forms of media are more influential: TV and broadcasting is more influential

Answer 19

instead, voters are turning to other forms of media such as social media and television, which seems to indicate that the influence of the press is decreasing and other forms of media are becoming far more influential on voting behaviour

instead of the press having a major influence, broadcasting media now dominates the media coverage of elections and is one of the most important ways in which people gain political information

for example, 9.6 million people watched the 2010 televised leaders debate. In this debate, “I agree with Nick” was a statement that was made repeatedly by Cameron and Brown, and Nick Clegg’s performance in this debate raised his profile at the expense of Cameron’s and arguably resulted in a hung parliament by costing the Conservatives an overall majority

moreover, a survey found that 62% of respondents cited TV as the strongest influence informing their opinion in the run up to the 2015 election while only 25% put newspapers first – TV seems to shape voting behaviour more than newspapers do

Question 20

other forms of media are more influential: social media is more influential

Answer 20

social media is also having a more influential role. It is an open, unregulated medium so there are opportunities for groups to gain a foothold and influence voters, especially younger people

for example, Labour has been growing in membership, particularly among younger voters, through its strong social media presence – notably, groups like Momentum

this social media campaign far outweighed any anti-Corbyn bias in the newspaper press and seems to have costed May a majority in 2017

in the same election campaign, the Conservative Party reportedly spent £100,000 a month on Facebook advertising, which demonstrates that parties seem to be very aware that social media may be more influential than the newspaper press

Question 21

other forms of media have questionable influence: TV in 2010 and 2015

Answer 21

these other forms of media have questionable influence, perhaps indicating that they may not challenge the influence of newspapers and that the press still has a considerable impact on voting behaviour

for example, the influence of television debates should not be exaggerated and it is hard to judge with any certainty the influence that TV has on voting behaviour

arguably, the televised leaders debates did not have any real impact

in 2010, Nick Clegg was very successful in the television debates and saw a boost in the polls, yet the Liberal Democrats only increased their share of the vote by 1% and actually lost 5 seats at the election

in 2015, opinion polls also suggested that the debates made no real difference and only confirmed existing impressions of leaders

Question 22

other forms of media have questionable influence: TV in 2017

Answer 22

in 2017, Theresa May refused to take part in the televised debates, which may criticised and attacked her for, whereas Jeremy Corbyn’s participation and better than expected performance improved Labour’s credibility

yet May still went on to win more votes than David Cameron had in 2010 and 2015 and Corbyn still lost the election