CM2 - Politics and the Media in the UK

What is the BBC ?

• The British Broadcasting Corporation

• Reputation of quality and independence, supposed to be the most trustworthy news in the world

• Had radio, then TV channels and now a website

• Center / Center-left

What are the 5 different types of newspapers ?

• News magazines

• Free newspapers

• Daily newspapers

• Sunday newspapers

• Online newspapers

What is the difference between Broadsheets and Tabloids ?

• Broadsheets are seen as more neutral and fact oriented, more trustworthy and news based

• Tabloids are less fact oriented and can have a strong bias ( wether right or left ), the often are less trustworthy and publish stories about celebrities for example

What are some quality broadsheets ?

• The Times ( center-right )

• The Telegraph ( right / Conservative )

• The Guardian ( center-left / left )

• The Sunday Times ( right / Conservative )

• The Sunday Telegraph ( right / Conservative )

• The Observer ( center-left / left )

What are some popular tabloids ?

• Daily Mail ( right-wing )

• Daily Express ( right-wing )

• The Sun ( right-wing / Conservative )

• The Daily Mirror ( left-wing )

Who is Rupert Murdoch ?

The owner of several news outlets like :

• The Sun

• The Times

• The Sunday Times

• Sky TV

• Fox News

• New York Times

• Wall Street journal

What are “spin doctors” ?

• political press agent, publicist or a Public Relations officer employed to promote certain interpretations of events

• Pejorative term ( spin = change the angle to fit one’s ideology + doctor = to falsify )

• They promote one’s agenda by using calculated sentences and events and spinning them however they want

What is a “sound bite”?

• short sentence or phrase that is easy to remember, included in a speech by a politician and repeated by newspapers, TV and Radio

• Ex : Theresa May’s : “Brexit means Brexit” in 2016

What are “fake news” ? And their use ?

• Hoaxes and lies

• Sensationalism to attract readers

• Deliberate misinformation