Media in Politics

by Julian Petley

Published 15 August 2002
This text examines the role of the media in the UK political system. It looks at the history of the media and how it entered politics, how politicians and their spin doctors try and influence the media and how the media deal with politics. It ends by examining the question of whether the media actually influences the political process in the UK. An activity at the end aims to encourage the reader to think about what they have read and to critically assess for themselves how politics is represented in the media. This title can be used as a resource for the Key Stage 3 (11-14 years) Citizenship National Curriculum, where young people should be taught about the significance of the media in society. This book also covers some of the key characteristics of parliamentary government and the increasing use of spin doctors in the political process which makes it relevant to politics as well as citizenship courses.