journal article: the media in the 2005 British election

An article on the role of the media in the 2005 British election. Only three paragraphs about the Internet though.

Parliamentary Affairs
2005, 58(4):699-711

John Bartle

The Press, Television, and the Internet

IN the 1997 and 2001 general elections, New Labour triumphed at the polls and in the media. In 1997 it had received the endorsements of six out of eleven national daily newspapers and been given largely sympathetic coverage in the broadcast media. In 2001 it made even more progress among the print media, with the endorsement of seven out of the eleven. By 2001, however, its relationship with the media had became progressively more difficult. The party found it difficult to adjust from opposition to government and it quickly gained an unenviable reputation for spinning. Those at the centre, such as Alastair Campbell, the Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, became increasingly sensitive to criticism. Their relationship with the BBC, in particular, became increasingly strained. A Panorama investigation into the NHS, broadcast shortly before the 2001 election, caused particular resentment. As early as June 2001, the Deputy Head of BBC News was . . . [Full Text of this Article]