CFE Democracy Groups of Influence WHAT DO WE

CFE Democracy Groups of Influence

WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THE MEDIA? Traditional or “old media”, such as newspapers, books, magazines, television, film and radio The BBC has a legal duty not to be biased in its news coverage. Other tv news outlets e. g. ITN, STV, C 4, C 5 News hold similar high professional standards. Photo © BBC

NEW MEDIA The term new media refers to the new, often interactive forms of social media which have developed in recent years. These are blogs, social networking sites and web based media sites such as You. Tube.

TRUST IN TRADITIONAL MEDIA DECLINING

BE SPECIFIC IN REFERRING TO THE MEDIA It is important to; Discriminate between the different forms of media Consider the ways the various media try to influence the political process Assess the parties competence in using the media “the air war” Assess the parties competence in persuading voters to get out and vote “the ground war”

THE 2010 ELECTION: WHO SUPPORTED WHO Daily Newspaper Party supported Guardian Lib Dem Independent Lib Dem or Labour Telegraph Con Times Con Herald None Scotsman None Financial Times Con Mirror Labour Record Labour Sun Con Star None Express Con Mail Con The Sun is the biggest selling newspaper in the UK. Most of the biggest selling UK tabloids backed the Conservatives. Labour, and Gordon Brown in particular, was attacked and ridiculed. Newspapers can be as biased as they want!

LABOUR SUPPORTING NEWSPAPERS In 2010 only the Daily Mirror, The Observer and the Daily Record backed Labour. The Guardian switched its support from Labour to Lib Dem. The Mirror did its best to win it for Labour, even urging tactical voting for the Lib Dems in marginal seats.

1997, 2001 AND 2005 NEWS INTERNATIONAL News International is run by Rupert Murdoch. News International owns media all over the world. In the UK it owns BSky. B, The Sunday Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. In 1997, The Murdoch press turned on former PM John Major because he wasn't Margaret Thatcher. It then supported Tony Blair because he was not the “old Labour” of state ownership and progressive taxation.

THE 2010 ELECTION AND NEWS INTERNATIONAL The Sun did its best to win it for the Conservatives. The Sun traditionally backs the winner, but then again, it usually waits to see who is most likely to win before it decides who to back.

BUT MAYBE IN 2010 THEY DID… Between 2005 and the time The Sun formally endorsed David Cameron in September 2009, Sun readers had already swung to the Conservatives by 12. 5%. In other words, they’d decided to vote Tory before Rupert Murdoch told them to. But then during the election itself, between the 6 th of April when the Prime Minister called the election and election day itself, five Sun readers in a hundred swung back to the Tories. Given the closeness of the 2010 General Election result, perhaps, this time, it was The Sun wot won it?

IN SCOTLAND IN 2007 THE TABLOID PRESS DIDN’T SWING THE ELECTION In the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, the tabloid press attacked the SNP. But the SNP won the election and also became the largest party in Scottish local government.

THE 2011 ELECTION SNP AND THE PRESS The Sun switched its support from Labour to the SNP. The tabloid devoted six pages to praising the SNP and its leader, Alex Salmond, and attacking Scottish Labour. The SNP was also backed by the News of the World, the Scotsman, the Scotland on Sunday, the Sunday Herald and the Scottish Sunday Express. The Daily Record, however, continued to give its support to Labour.

THE INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM The Sunday Herald has backed a ‘YES’ vote and the rest of the mainstream print media has backed ‘No’.

INFLUENCE ON VOTERS: THE LEADERS’ DEBATES The first ever UK leaders’ debates took place in 2010, with three debates, one each on ITV, Sky and BBC. Around 10 million people watched the first debate on ITV. Nick Clegg performed very well and the rise in support for the Lib Dems in the polls led many to believe the leaders’ debates would have a decisive influence. But, the Lib Dems’ vote increased by a mere 1%. Perhaps this is because, unlike in the USA, we do not vote directly for our political leader. It may also have been a reflection on the FPTP voting system, where a vote for the Lib Dems was, all too often, in reality, a “wasted vote”.

2011 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT LEADERS’ DEBATES There were three leaders tv debates in total. Unlike the 2010 General Election leader’s debates, there was no one pivotal moment. But, the Presidential element to these debates was said to have worked more in Alex Salmond’s favour. The SNP campaign focused heavily on the Salmond leadership, even placing his name on the 2 nd ballot paper. There was also an economy debate where the finance spokespeople from each of the parties were joined by economic advisers.

SO, THE OLD MEDIA IS STILL VERY IMPORTANT In the 2010 General Election the Old Media to dominated. The first tv debate was watched by 9. 4 million people. The Sun was read by 8 million people every day. By contrast, 79% of Britons could not re-call any online electioneering, not even an email. Which explains why Ed Miliband chose to endorse The Sun in the summer of 2014. Social media and the election

BUT. . THE LANDSCAPE IS CHANGING Social media is changing journalism. Non-journalists or “citizen journalists” are making news a far more participatory experience. New media organisations such as Al Jazeera and the Huffington Post have been quicker to adapt, integrating Twitter and Facebook with their coverage of events. The 2012 Reuters Institute Digital Report found that 16 -24 year olds in the UK now use social media as their primary news source. in the UK, the more traditional news brands have been fast to change the way they engage with their audiences – the BBC and Guardian, for example, have been quick to innovate with live blogging, data journalism and other ways to adapt their delivery of information as consumer behaviours change. So, in the UK at least it is these ‘traditional’ news brands that are offering the new ways of engaging with people and content that better reflect how consumer behaviour itself is changing.

NEWSPAPERS IN DECLINE Newspaper sales are in decline as people increasingly get their news online or from free newspapers paid for by advertising.

NEW MEDIA AND THE 2011 SCOTTISH ELECTIONS Arguably, it is the SNP which has made the best use of new media. The SNP’s 2011 website combined Twitter and Facebook platforms. This allowed updates and new developments to reach users who could ‘like’ these on their Facebook pages and spread the message. The SNP and its supporters appear to have embraced social media in way the other parties are struggling to follow. The relationship between online popularity and electoral popularity may not be straightforward though! Twitter Followers (August 2014)

FACEBOOK ‘LIKES’ What does this mean? Does it mean The SNP are more popular? Possibly but not necessarily. Its supporters may just use social media more. But it means that the SNP has the platform to get its message across in a way the other parties don’t. How it uses that message is another thing. But it has the exposure. Facebook ‘likes’ August 2014

DO GOVERNMENTS LOSE ELECTIONS? Rather than oppositions win them? Black Wednesday 1992 “Bottler Brown” 2007 Sometimes the voters just lose confidence in a governing party. Sometimes there is a defining moment when a party loses the trust of the voters and never wins it back. While the Conservatives lost the massive lead it had built up, Labour Ministers conceded that the 2010 election was “lost” as far back as October 2007.

BUT THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE TOO: 2011 SUBWAYGATE At one point, Scottish Labour was more than 10 points ahead of the SNP in the 2011 Scottish election polls but it’s lead had been narrowly decreasing. Perhaps the game changing moment came when a photo opportunity by Labour leader Iain Gray at the entrance of Glasgow Central station was hijacked by cuts protestors. With the benefit of hindsight, Iain Gray should, perhaps, have engaged with the protestors. But he walked away, seeking refuge in a local Subway shop. The subsequent media coverage where he was held up to ridicule and lampooned mercilessly was disastrous for him. Polling results a few days later recorded a decline in Labour’s support. Stooshie in a sandwich shop

LEADERSHIP By contrast, polls conducted during the 2011 Scottish election consistently showed that Alex Salmond was the most popular candidate for First Minister. The SNP promoted Alex Salmond’s ‘father of the nation’ image, which it contrasted with Iain Gray’s ‘gray by name, gray by nature’ image and his lack of recognition by voters.

LEADERSHIP In these days of celebrity, the image of the leader takes on more and more importance. While a party’s campaign will not, on its own, win an election, a badly organised media campaign can certainly lose one. Parties require a good “air” attack via the media, but also a good “ground war”; phone calls, emails, leaflets and enthusiastic campaigners in communities. In 2010, Labour was hammered by The Sun and this put the party on the defensive. But, it didn’t help itself by scoring spectacular “own goals”. Gordon Brown bigot gaffe

2011 THE PARTY MACHINE IN SCOTLAND In 2011, the SNP ran a well focused campaign with an upbeat message which focused on their achievements. There were bright, collective slogans: “Be Part of Better”, Hollywoodstyle campaign launches and celebrity endorsements. The SNP’s “ground war” was also slicky planned. Its “Activate” voter database system, also used in 2007, allowed the SNP to pinpoint voters. Apps were used by campaigners to feed back voters opinions into the database. Its army of young volunteers contacted the voters Activate identified as likely SNP voters. It got them out to vote.

POLICIES STILL COUNT The 2012 Scottish local elections were a reminder that even with the most sophisticated technology, the smartest brand the slickest party machine, if the party’s policies aren’t popular, voters won’t respond. Against all predictions, Labour won Glasgow City Council. While the SNP’s campaign was high-level, Labour focused on practical, popular polices such the “Glasgow Guarantee”providing every young person aged 16 -24 with support in the form of an apprenticeship, training or work. Pledges of free swimming for the under 18 s and over 60 s, free golf on Council courses to the over 60 s also held appeal for core Labour voters, of which there are many in Glasgow. Nationally, the SNP once again won more council seats than any other party.