Media coverage of the British General Election 2015: first thoughts
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A short presentation giving my first thoughts on the news media coverage of the British General Election of May 7th 2015. It looks at the role of TV, newspapers and social media and the digital campaigns of the main parties and the significance of the 'gaffes' in the campaign. it says that TV is the most important platform still, that social media is much more extensive, but plays off the other media, while newspapers were more partisan and less powerful than before. This was the most stage-managed election ever which reflected the reluctance of the main parties to have an open debate with the public about the big issues. This was a presentation at the LSE's election night briefing evening on 7.5.15
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Media coverage of the British General Election 2015: first thoughts
- 1. Media coverage of the British General Election 2015 Prof Charlie Beckett Director, Polis, LSE @CharlieBeckett c.h.beckett@lse.ac.uk
- 3. Key findings 1. Television the dominant medium 2. Newspapers less influential on agenda and opinion 3. Newspapers more partisan 4. Social media much more extensive but almost always secondary 5. Parties use of digital extensive but crude 6. The most stage-managed election ever
- 4. Television the dominant medium • TV debates did happen but asymmetric • Boosted ‘minor’ parties profile but not polling • More TV coverage than ever before – relatively balanced • TV coverage increasingly networked into ‘second screen’ social media amplification • Impact on news cycle & spin cycle
- 5. Social Media • Labour wins traffic war • Tories won paid-for search/social war • Smaller parties such as Ukip, Greens and SNP very adept at mobilising their disparate support via SM • Still using digital as propaganda not conversation • Importance of canvassing computers
- 6. Newspapers • Measurably more partisan that before - Telegraph email • Extension of partisan campaign to digital offering (SunNation, Ampp3d) • Partisan to detriment of sales? (25% of Sun readers voting Labour) • Still frame debate but less control of agenda (no press conferences)
- 7. ‘Gaffes’ • Notable by their relative triviality and their divergence from highly stage-managed campaign • Cameron kitchen term limit • Miliband two kitchens • Cameron ‘West Ham’ supporter • Miliband stumble
- 8. Media coverage of the British General Election 2015 Prof Charlie Beckett Director, Polis, LSE @CharlieBeckett c.h.beckett@lse.ac.uk