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Chapter 15. “All this is a boon to Britain’s crumbling democracy”

Meta-reporting about the TV debates in the British General Election 2015

Abstract

This contribution deals with meta-reporting in the 2015 British election campaign. First, the concept of mediatisation and the consequences of mediatisation for political communication will be discussed more generally. Second, the concept of meta-reporting will be introduced as both symptom and consequence of an increased degree of mediatised political communication. Thirdly, based on previous findings, a qualitative analysis of newspaper reporting on the four TV debates during the 2015 election campaign exhibits various elements of meta-reporting. Meta-reporting about these media-initiated and mediatised communicative events includes (a) reporting about spin doctoring, image work and strategies for self-representation of political actors, (b) discussing the media format itself and the media actors involved in them, and (c) the effect of the TV debates on the audience and on voting behaviour. The analysis of meta-reporting about the TV debates indicates both a de-politicisation of political agency and a politicisation of media agency.

Abstract

This contribution deals with meta-reporting in the 2015 British election campaign. First, the concept of mediatisation and the consequences of mediatisation for political communication will be discussed more generally. Second, the concept of meta-reporting will be introduced as both symptom and consequence of an increased degree of mediatised political communication. Thirdly, based on previous findings, a qualitative analysis of newspaper reporting on the four TV debates during the 2015 election campaign exhibits various elements of meta-reporting. Meta-reporting about these media-initiated and mediatised communicative events includes (a) reporting about spin doctoring, image work and strategies for self-representation of political actors, (b) discussing the media format itself and the media actors involved in them, and (c) the effect of the TV debates on the audience and on voting behaviour. The analysis of meta-reporting about the TV debates indicates both a de-politicisation of political agency and a politicisation of media agency.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Multidisciplinary approaches to political discourse
  5. Chapter 2. “We have the character of an island nation” 27
  6. Chapter 3. “Dancing with doxa” 59
  7. Part II. Representing the people, representing the government
  8. Chapter 4. Charting the semantics of labour relations in House of Commons debates spanning two hundred years 81
  9. Chapter 5. Off the record 105
  10. Chapter 6. Making “politics” relevant 127
  11. Part III. Doing populism
  12. Chapter 7. A cross-linguistic study of new populist language 153
  13. Chapter 8. Disciplining the unwilling 179
  14. Part IV. Mediated politics
  15. Chapter 9. Es-tu Charlie? 211
  16. Chapter 10. United we diverge 235
  17. Chapter 11. Hybridity and antagonism in broadcast election campaign interviews 259
  18. Chapter 12. Mediated campaign debate subgenre and their importance for analytic considerations 281
  19. Chapter 13. Cross-talk in political discourse 301
  20. Part V. Self-referential political discourse
  21. Chapter 14. Reading political minds 333
  22. Chapter 15. “All this is a boon to Britain’s crumbling democracy” 361
  23. Part VI. Doing foreign policy
  24. Chapter 16. Red lines and rash decisions 385
  25. Notes on contributors 407
  26. Index 413
Doing Politics
This chapter is in the book Doing Politics
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.80.15sch

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Multidisciplinary approaches to political discourse
  5. Chapter 2. “We have the character of an island nation” 27
  6. Chapter 3. “Dancing with doxa” 59
  7. Part II. Representing the people, representing the government
  8. Chapter 4. Charting the semantics of labour relations in House of Commons debates spanning two hundred years 81
  9. Chapter 5. Off the record 105
  10. Chapter 6. Making “politics” relevant 127
  11. Part III. Doing populism
  12. Chapter 7. A cross-linguistic study of new populist language 153
  13. Chapter 8. Disciplining the unwilling 179
  14. Part IV. Mediated politics
  15. Chapter 9. Es-tu Charlie? 211
  16. Chapter 10. United we diverge 235
  17. Chapter 11. Hybridity and antagonism in broadcast election campaign interviews 259
  18. Chapter 12. Mediated campaign debate subgenre and their importance for analytic considerations 281
  19. Chapter 13. Cross-talk in political discourse 301
  20. Part V. Self-referential political discourse
  21. Chapter 14. Reading political minds 333
  22. Chapter 15. “All this is a boon to Britain’s crumbling democracy” 361
  23. Part VI. Doing foreign policy
  24. Chapter 16. Red lines and rash decisions 385
  25. Notes on contributors 407
  26. Index 413
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