Who rules //
The Government and the Media
The media are powerful tools. If you know how to use them well you can make situations work to your advantage. The government knows just how influential the media can be, so constantly it has to think about how to use the media carefully.
Political parties and the government have special media and publicity departments that deal with their public image and decide what news should be released and when. They even decide how politicians should look and dress, what they should say and when and how they should say it – even what expressions they should pull. It's all about getting the right message across to potential voters.
Spinning the news
Imagine the government has decided it needs to increase tax. The public isn't going to be happy, but it needs to be informed. Once the media get hold of this news it's likely to be splashed over the front pages.
The government will probably look really bad, especially if it promised not to increase tax, so a spin doctor looks at the situation and decides the government should wait for a bigger news story to come along. So it waits... and the country wins an important football match. Perfect time to release the story.
The papers are full of football, nobody thinks much about other news and anyway, who cares? The government's news is buried away where nobody notices. It's all very clever. Has the prime minister done something not entirely truthful? It will help if on the day the story appears that the prime minister is seen to be visiting sick children. This will divert attention away from bad news.
Key Points
- The government needs the media to get its message across.
- Political parties have special departments that deal with their public image.
- Spin doctors are special advisers to politicians and governments. They help position the news so that the government appears in the best light.
Reality Bytes: A Spin too Far?
After the events of 11 September in the US, the news covered little else. There was huge demand for stories about what had happened, why it had happened and what might happen in the future. A special adviser thought this was the perfect opportunity for the UK government to deliver any bad news, because it was unlikely to get noticed.
She suggested this in an email to her colleagues. The email was discovered and caused outrage. The adviser had to make a public apology and in the end had to resign. However, this incident exposed to the public a practice that has been happening for some time.
Interesting Facts
- Parliament was first televised in 1985. The first broadcasts were of the House of Lords. Televising the House of Commons followed in 1989.
- The government is considering restricting adverts for junk food to after 9pm in order to encourage healthy eating.
Big Question
- Should the media be banned from expressing political opinions?
