Evaluating the Role of the Media in the British General Election 2010
Critically evaluate the role of the media in the British General Election 2010.
“Media should keep people informed about public affairs so that individuals are adequately briefed when they take part in the process of self government.” (Curran, James 2005).
The role of the media, as Curran as explained is a supposed to be a way of allowing individuals to think for themselves, having their own opinions and ideas about the news and information that is given to them through different medias. So for my essay I will be focusing on the way in which the media, mainly T.V, allowed the general public to think for themselves during the British General election, mainly focusing on the ‘Alternative General Election’ which was aired on the same night as the Election, on Channel 4 and on the political advertising used for each party and the ways in which the media use emotion to sway the general public.
Television is a very powerful media form, as “more than 90% of the UK TV homes already have digital” (The Guardian Online 2010) shows that we are relatively dependant on having television in our day-to-day lives. Television as a media form is the most powerful source of information for the average person, as the news is on hourly on a large variety of channels, reporting news from all over the world. There are even specific channels that viewers can tune into to receive specialist television programs, like BBC Parliament, where viewers can watch the House of Commons live from the comfort of their own homes.
The BBC hosted the British General Election on Thursday the 6th of May 2010, and on the same evening, for those who weren’t as eager to watch the real General Election, could tune into Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Election Night’. Channel 4’s aim was to make the Election a slightly more enjoyable event for the general public, as they say on the Channel 4 website “the show promises satire and sass, minus the staid political swing-o-meters”. Hosted by “comedy
“Media should keep people informed about public affairs so that individuals are adequately briefed when they take part in the process of self government.” (Curran, James 2005).
The role of the media, as Curran as explained is a supposed to be a way of allowing individuals to think for themselves, having their own opinions and ideas about the news and information that is given to them through different medias. So for my essay I will be focusing on the way in which the media, mainly T.V, allowed the general public to think for themselves during the British General election, mainly focusing on the ‘Alternative General Election’ which was aired on the same night as the Election, on Channel 4 and on the political advertising used for each party and the ways in which the media use emotion to sway the general public.
Television is a very powerful media form, as “more than 90% of the UK TV homes already have digital” (The Guardian Online 2010) shows that we are relatively dependant on having television in our day-to-day lives. Television as a media form is the most powerful source of information for the average person, as the news is on hourly on a large variety of channels, reporting news from all over the world. There are even specific channels that viewers can tune into to receive specialist television programs, like BBC Parliament, where viewers can watch the House of Commons live from the comfort of their own homes.
The BBC hosted the British General Election on Thursday the 6th of May 2010, and on the same evening, for those who weren’t as eager to watch the real General Election, could tune into Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Election Night’. Channel 4’s aim was to make the Election a slightly more enjoyable event for the general public, as they say on the Channel 4 website “the show promises satire and sass, minus the staid political swing-o-meters”. Hosted by “comedy
Bibliography: Black, Lawrence. (2010) ‘Redefining British Politics.’ Palgrave MacMillan. Hampshire. Curran, James (2005) ‘What democracy requires of the media’ in The Press ed. G.Overholser & K.Hall Jamieson London. Routledge 12-40. Franklin, Bob (1994) ‘Packaging Politics: Political communications in Britain’s media democracy’ Edward Arnold, UK. Kaid, LL. (2004) ‘Political Advertising’ p.165, ‘Handbook of political communications research’. Rooutledge, London. Lewis, Justin, Andrew, Williams, and Bob Franklin. (2008) ‘A Compromised Fourth Estate?’ Journalism Studies 9(1): 1-20. Perloff, Kraus. (1985) ‘Mass Media and Political Thought’ Sage Publications, Inc. California. Phillips, Angela. (2009) ‘Old Sources, New Bottles: Journalists and their sources online’ in Natalie Fenton, ed New Media, old news: Journalism & democracy in the digital age London: Sage, pp87-101.