Saturday, June 07, 2008
Newspapers and Politics
A good article by Martin Kettle in The Guardian makes the point that politicians should not bother wooing newspapers. This is because newspapers do not swing voters, rather voters choose newspapers that reflect their views. The entirely irrational conviction of politicians that newspapers are important vote swingers is a product of the last 15 years of spin. Brown is utterly dazzled by this illusion and seems convinced that the Daily Mail is his only hope. That said, I think Kettle is too nice to see the bigger picture. The real and very sinister political power of newspapers lies not in their leaders and political columns but in their exposes. As we know, it only takes one nasty little revelation to humiliate or even destroy a public figure. The real reason politicians woo newspapers is their fear of this above all else. A good lunch can keep a file closed.
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A blog about, among other things, imaginary ideas - What ifs? and Imagine thats. What if photographs looked nothing like what we see with our eyes? Imagine that the Berlin Wall had never come down. What if we were the punchline of an interminable joke? All contributions welcome.
I don't the papers can offer than kind of protection anymore in the age of the internet. It was Drudge reporting that Newsweek was sitting on the Lewinsky story that made the story public.That aside, I think your absolutely right, Bryan.
ReplyDeleteBut what about readers who buy newspapers for something other than their political coverage, say their listings? I'm thinking of the Evening Standard. Surely its campaign, part based in truth and other part complete muckracking, but always very biased against Ken Livingstone, had an impact on the Mayoral election?
ReplyDeleteTrue, Frank, but the American context is different - mainly city-based as opposed to national newspapers. And good point, Matthew, the mayoral election was different. But, in fact, this does support my expose point as Livingstone was subjected to some very nasty stories and, as I said, these really can shift voters.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about the exposes, but I think also it was a classic case of 'drip drip. It seemed like every day the Standard billboards would have something like 'Ken and the suicide bomber'. I actually bothered to read one of the stories once, it was something like a city hall staff member or committee member had once expressed undertanding of Palestinian suicide bombers.
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