The Media Campaign: The Issues and Personalities Who Defined the Election

Abstract

Loughborough University’s team provides a comprehensive study of how the major print and broadcast media covered the campaign. Based on content analysis of the main television bulletins as well as every national newspaper, the chapter explores how the various issues and personalities were represented. Aside from the traditional focus on ‘process’ the dominant substantive issues were the economy, taxation and constitutional situation, particularly relating to Scotland. This focus was reflected in the relative prominence of the rivals to be Chancellor and several politicians from north of the border. Broadly speaking the news media reporting - print and broadcast- reflected the increasingly fragmented party system in that both the SNP and UKIP received unprecedented amounts of coverage in a UK wide election. Most newspapers did, however, exhibit their support for the Conservatives in their more favourable and extensive treatment of the party in terms of both its policies and representatives.