Until this week, there has been a B-shaped hole in election campaigns, manifestos and media coverage. What does that mean for the future government?
Raymond Snoddy
Raymond is a highly regarded writer and media consultant. He has written columns for The Independent and was media editor of The Times for seven years. Before moving to The Times he was a reporter on the FT for 19 years, covering media and communication issues. His television credits include eight years as the BBC’s NewsWatch presenter.
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As consumers are found to increasingly avoid the news, Snoddy examines what is behind this and what needs to change to reverse the tide.
When someone with expert knowledge is given the time and space in the media to communicate that knowledge to society as a whole, we all reap the benefits.
Political polls provide good fodder, but what degree of prominence should right-wing media organisations give to results that run counter to the direction they want the election and the country to go?
From ‘wally with the brolly’ to reactions to the national service proposal, newspapers are doing a fine job highlighting the absurdity of the government — whatever their political leaning.
Ofcom could well impose a hefty fine to show it means business, but when? And will it prevent further breaches? Much depends on when the election takes place.
Broadcasters should be focus much more on co-operation rather than on squabbling and forcing the Culture Secretary to have to adjudicate.
With the election now likely to be in November, some important pending legislations that could benefit the media industry still stand a chance.
This will be the first election when we have blatantly politically biased TV channels. How Ofcom handles due impartiality this year is certain to be picked apart by the industry.
Channel 4’s sponsored programme and The Sun’s recent coverage show that mainstream media has been slow in catching up to what real people are doing.