The role of the media between elections

Question 1

What is the media’s traditional role beyond elections?

Answer 1

• Provide a commentary to help explain events to the public while allowing them to make their own informed decisions
• Act as a forum for political debate and discussion, challenging public ideas and acting as a bridge between the electorate and their representatives

Question 2

How can the media be seen as enhancing democracy?

Answer 2

• They help maintained an informed and educated public
• They act as a check on representatives and democratic institutions by scrutinising their work through investigations

Question 3

How were the media important in 2008?

Answer 3

The Daily Telegraph’s investigation of the expenses scandal helped hold many MPs to account

Question 4

How were the media important in 2018?

Answer 4

Their reporting of the Windrush scandal led to the resignation of the then Home Secretary and a public investigation into the matter

Question 5

Why have tabloid newspapers become more partisan?

Answer 5

Due to the rise of social media

Question 6

What has the tabloid press become more focused on?

Answer 6

Scandal and mocking politicians it opposes, rather than providing information and informed debate

Question 7

How has the media contributed to the cynical national attitude towards politics?

Answer 7

Because of their tendency to prioritise negative news stories over positive ones

Question 8

What is the consequence of the increased focus on leaders and personalities in politics?

Answer 8

The media has turned politicians into celebrities, rather than focusing on their ability to provide public service. The media have turned politics into a form of mass entertainment

Question 9

What has been the consequence of 24 hour news slots?

Answer 9

It has caused media outlets to create stories and issues. This has seen minor issues far more prominent than they really should be

Question 10

What has been the consequence of the rise of online media outlets?

Answer 10

It has led to increasingly partisan and uninformed debate proliferating, with opinions of being stated as fact. It has also caused traditional media outlets to lose control of the agenda and follow such online trends

Question 11

What has been the result of the rapid growth of social media?

Answer 11

It has helped spread political education and awareness, albeit at a more superficial and less engaged level than traditional forms of media. This can be especially problematic when social media creates echo chambers where people only seek out opinions that match their existing opinions

Question 12

What does the fact that PMQs is the most viewed part of parliament’s weekly agenda say?

Answer 12

That there is little public desire for detailed reporting on the real, rather dull, committee work that goes on

Question 13

How did the media influence politics between 1992-97?

Answer 13

The press investigated and reported on a number of scandals relating to conservative MPs, leading for a campaign for the public to ‘go back to basics’ with relation to morality. It lead to the conservative party being associated with ‘sleaze’ and damaging its reputation with voters long before 1997

Question 14

How did the media have an influence during the war in Iraq?

Answer 14

The BBC reported that the case for war had been hyped up using a ‘dodgy dossier’ to ‘sex up’ the issues involved. It became a full blown scandal that resulted in the death of weapons inspector David Kelly. Although the Hutton Inquiry later cleared the government, the accusations undermined trust and confidence in Blair, leading him to be seen as a liar and a puppet of the USA

Question 15

How did the media have an influence in 2009?

Answer 15

The Daily Telegraph published details of expenses claimed by MPs and peers, many being wrongfully made or for inappropriate items, such as a duck house. This subjected MPs and peers to a high level of scrutiny and forced many to resign, while others were subjected to police investigations, arguably as a result of media scrutiny

Question 16

How did the media have an influence over the Brexit process in 2016?

Answer 16

The Daily Mail published a headline saying that three high court judges were ‘enemies of the people’ for ruling that parliament should be responsible for triggering article 50, rather than the PM. The move was widely condemned for politicising and endangering the judiciary. It also inflamed divisions and tensions over the issue of Brexit

Question 17

Why can the media be seen as having had a greater impact on political participation over recent years?

Answer 17

Since 2016, reports have indicated that many of those in the UK who participate in politics principally do so through social media rather than through traditional methods, such as delivering leaflets and organising petitions