influence of the media

• why is the media of importance in a democracy?

  it brings issues to the public's attention.
• what are the different types of media?

  newspapers, television, social media
• what does Ofcom say about television coverage of politics?

  • coverage of parties during the election period must be fair and appropriate
  • all discussion and analysis of election and referendum issues must finish when the poll opens
  • broadcasters must wait until the polls close on polling day before they publish the results of opinion polls
  • a list of all candidates must be included in any constituency decisions
• what obligation are newspapers under surrounding media bias?

  none, most national newspapers have a clear bias. the guardian = labour, the telegraph = conservatives
• what are opinion polls?

  they assess the popularity of political parties by asking a sample of people how they intend to vote
• what are the arguments that elections are swayed by the media?

  • the public gain most of their information through the media
  • the public are more swayed by suggestive headlines than party policies
  • politicians are conscious of their media image
  • the winning party at the 2015, 2017 was supported by the majority of the press
  • the power of the media continues to grow
• what are the arguments that elections aren't swayed by the media?

  • the public make their mind up from multiple media sources - not just one
  • the issues that dominate campaigns come from parties not the media
  • parties use different media platforms to broadcast directly to voters
  • the public tend to choose media sources which reflect their views, not vice versa
  • many argue that the media simply follows the public's views
• what is an example of media persuasion?

  2015 - consistent negative portrayal of Labour's Ed Miliband in the right wing press
• what is an example of a party leader utilising the media?

  Tony Blair hired Alastair Campbell as a press secretary to ensure he and his party were portrayed in the best possible light by the media
• what is an example of opinion polls being inaccurate?

  2015 - it failed to predict that the conservatives would win an overall majority