In today's lecture we were discussing today's newspapers and in particular The Sun's decision to attack the Labour government. I was aware of The Sun's power in the race to Number Ten, however I do find it strange that it is a tabloid that holds this power.
As our we discussed in the lecture, The Sun doesn't necessarily support the Conservatives instead of Labour but it does attack Labour and the performance of the Labour government over the last twelve years. So through negativity towards Labour it sways viewers towards the Conservatives.
The reason The Sun holds has this influence on the political battle in the UK is because many of the newspaper's readers aren't particularly interested in politics and therefore perhaps don't have a particular allegiance to one political party and therefore come general election day will vote the way of The Sun.
But what surprises me most is that it's the tabloid that holds the power, not the broadsheets like The Times or The Guardian, that's what interests me. I realise that most broadsheet readers read that particular paper due to their political allegiance and therefore are unlikely to be swayed by the newspaper but for a tabloid, mostly renowned for it's page three nudity, to become a key player in who becomes the Prime Minister of Great Britain is an interesting fact nonetheless.
Yesterday's article in The Sun:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2663087/Voters-Reds-blew-it-for-us-too.html
Thursday, October 1, 2009
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Broadsheet readers are more settled in their political views (they are older). Tabloids reach people who don't follow politics much and - especially - do not watch politics on TV (eg Newsnight). Also the Sun in particular has concentrations of readers in swing seats, such as Basildon and Swindon. For these sorts of reasons the politicians fear them. A cabinet minster tolsd me that David Blunket when he was home secretary would start every discussion of home office policy by talking about how it would play in the Sun and the Daily Mail.
ReplyDeleteThe power also comes from the ultra regulation of TV and radio news - which is strictly balanced (and therefore rather dull). Tabs can be biased (and therefore more entertaining).
For politicians the tabs reach the places that other media can't But is political TV advertising was to be legalised in the UK (as in the states) then they will lose that power. In the state the politicians fear the SLOTS -(advertising slots running negative material about them) in the same way UK politicians fear the tabloids.
The most famous SLOT was the willie horton campaign by Bush the First to destroy democrat rivals using pure and undiluted racism of a sort that not even the Sun would use...
see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io9KMSSEZ0Y
who would vote for a man whose main policy is giving 'weekend passes' to murderers (who happen to be black - and only black) so they can go out rape people and return snugly to prison during the week?
maybe find more slots on you tube and blog 'em up
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