This is a short presentation on how networked political journalism helped force the resignation of shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry in November 2014. She resigned because of a tweeted image showing a St George's Flag and a white van outside a house in Rochester where UKIP were about to record a famous by-election victory. Bloggers and a national newspapers combined to whip up a storm that exploited unease in Labour ranks over perceptions that it was out of touch with its core working class voters.

1. Thornberry/Rochester:
a very networked resignation
Charlie Beckett
Polis, LSE
@Charliebeckett
November 2014

2. How did this….

3. …lead to this?

4. It was mainly this

5. Plus a lot of this

6. Though it wouldn’t work without this

7. Unique or a precedent?
• Rochester by-election – damage limitation
• Over-reaction by over-sensitive leader
• Genuine problem with core vote perception
• Inevitable consequence of febrile networked
political media
• Toxic combination of anti-Labour blogger (who
works for) and anti-Labour newspaper

8. Thornberry/Rochester:
a very networked resignation
Charlie Beckett
Polis, LSE
@Charliebeckett
c.h.beckett@lse.ac.uk
November 2014