Read on Twitter
One response to (one finding in) our BBC Twitter paper is to say: 'So what? Of course BBC reporters follow the ruling party. They are newsworthy because they are the decision makers.'
To some extent this is a fair point, because we already know from content studies (as we note in the paper) that the BBC reflects the Government’s perspective most of all in its news reporting (though this is rarely acknowledged in public debates).
But what our study shows is that this is a feature of journalistic culture, not merely e.g. the communicative resources of the state (& the press), or other aspects of news production.
Also I don’t think people have thought enough about the implications of this.
Also I don’t think people have thought enough about the implications of this.
It means that BBC journalism, instead of representing a range of opinion in society, tends to replicate the undemocratic features of the political system - including too often amplifying political propaganda ('spin') intended to subvert democratic processes.
If you want an example of this in action, look at the research on how the BBC covered the EU Referendum. Competing statements from leading (right-wing) politicians dominated reporting, & misinformation was rarely challenged.
The other aspect worth mentioning is that if political reporting were based on policy rather than Westminster shenanigans, then the newsworthy source would be the Ministerial Departments, not the Ministers themselves.
