6 Media coverage
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John Shepherd
Abstract
The role of the media coverage of the British 'winter of discontent' raises a number of interesting historical and methodological questions. Press hostility towards the unions was particularly unrestrained during the industrial unrest of September 1978 to March 1979. Jean Seaton has written: 'union bashing is one of the conventions of the British media'. The 1970s was a key decade in the politics and ownership of the national press in Britain. Express Newspapers launched the Manchester-based Daily Star in direct competition with the Daily Mirror and the Sun. The most dominant 'winter of discontent' images in the media were of the strikes and stoppages by public service workers during January and February 1979. In the national press and on the nation's television screens, Leicester Square in London famously became 'Fester Square', as a result of the mountains of uncollected refuse.
Abstract
The role of the media coverage of the British 'winter of discontent' raises a number of interesting historical and methodological questions. Press hostility towards the unions was particularly unrestrained during the industrial unrest of September 1978 to March 1979. Jean Seaton has written: 'union bashing is one of the conventions of the British media'. The 1970s was a key decade in the politics and ownership of the national press in Britain. Express Newspapers launched the Manchester-based Daily Star in direct competition with the Daily Mirror and the Sun. The most dominant 'winter of discontent' images in the media were of the strikes and stoppages by public service workers during January and February 1979. In the national press and on the nation's television screens, Leicester Square in London famously became 'Fester Square', as a result of the mountains of uncollected refuse.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations xii
- 1 The 1970s 1
- 2 Election deferred and the collapse of the social contract 18
- 3 The Ford strike, 1978 38
- 4 The oil tanker drivers’ dispute and the road hauliers’ strike 59
- 5 Public sector strikes 82
- 6 Media coverage 108
- 7 The Conservative Party and the ‘winter of discontent’ 130
- 8 Political aftermath 147
- 9 In conclusion 168
- ‘Winter of discontent’, 1978–79 176
- Bibliography 179
- Index 196
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Dedication v
- Contents vii
- List of illustrations viii
- Acknowledgements ix
- List of abbreviations xii
- 1 The 1970s 1
- 2 Election deferred and the collapse of the social contract 18
- 3 The Ford strike, 1978 38
- 4 The oil tanker drivers’ dispute and the road hauliers’ strike 59
- 5 Public sector strikes 82
- 6 Media coverage 108
- 7 The Conservative Party and the ‘winter of discontent’ 130
- 8 Political aftermath 147
- 9 In conclusion 168
- ‘Winter of discontent’, 1978–79 176
- Bibliography 179
- Index 196
