Business Insider: Study finds broadcast coverage of the UK election has aligned 'most closely' with Boris Johnson's agenda

09 December 2019

The BBC and other UK broadcasters have helped Boris Johnson frame the general election on his own terms, according to an academic study of media coverage of the campaign.

The prime minister's campaign has sought to focus the upcoming general election on the issue of "getting Brexit done" under his leadership. 

Now a new study by Loughborough University suggests that broadcasters have helped him in this aim.

The researchers found that "TV coverage has focused far more on Brexit than on any other issue," with 20% of broadcast coverage of the election focused on this theme.

This contrasts with just 8% of broadcast coverage focusing on the opposition Labour party's central issue of the future of the National Health Service.

The authors found that "in proportional terms, TV coverage has therefore tended to align most closely with the Conservatives' Brexit agenda."

The study also found that the print media was overwhelmingly biased against the Labour party. 

Examination of print media coverage in the first four weeks of the campaign found that Boris Johnson's Conservative Party received broadly positive coverage, whereas Jeremy Corbyn's campaign was portrayed in an overwhelmingly negative light. [...]

Full article on Business Insider

Study by Loughborough University

Related analysis on UK in a changing Europe: Has the media focused on Brexit in this election?

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