lecture to LSE Govt dept January 2019

1. Journalism and politics
Prof Charlie Beckett
GV311
2019

2. • How have new technologies changed the relationship between
journalism and politics?

3. What does journalism do for politics?
• Information
[facts, records, statistics, events,
policies]
• Deliberation
[debate, analysis, comment, opinion]
• Agency
[investigation, audit, voice for
citizen, campaigns]

4. Politicians
News
Media
Public

5. With new technologies come new forms of
message control

6. In the face of media hostility, spin harder?

7. 2015 UK GE

9. 2017 UK GE

11. EU Referendum 2016

12. Political reporting is now networked
Media
Politicians
Citizens

16. Anti-media politics: Trump

17. Trump and MSM: attention, alienation,
assault

18. Trump and MSM: attention, alienation,
assault

19. Trump and MSM: attention, alienation,
assault

20. Disrupting media logic as a strategy

22. Corbyn’s solution: bypass MSM

23. Rampant relativism as a strategy

25. We publish fake news, you decide

26. Vicious cycle of disruptive political media
Disruptive ‘spin’
Increased public
scepticism and
relativism
More aggressive
media, fact
checking,
partisan media
Increased public
polarisation?
Politics more
social media
orientated:
more fake news
and targeted
campaigning

27. Post-truth or multi-truth?

28. Misinformation now manufactured

29. “Fake news”

30. Political communications now driven by data
and the platforms

31. Getting worse before it gets better?
•1. Governments, corporations, lobby groups now
investing in information manipulation
•2. New channels, platforms and networks will
provide fresh distribution outlets for
misinformation
•3. Failure to address systematic problem means
we treat symptoms not structural challenges

33. Has the post-Enlightenment dream of an
informed society turned into digital dystopia?

34. The new subjective normal?
Hyper partisan, affective political journalism

35. Is journalism part of the solution or the
problem?

36. THE END