General Election 2017: Discover what’s making the media headlines
A real time news audit of the General Election by Loughborough University is lifting the lid on what media coverage the political parties, their policies and MPs are securing each week. Loughborough University London's Acting Director for the Institute for Media and Creative Industries, Professor David Deacon, is one of the lead researchers.
Academics from the University’s Centre for Research in Communication and Culture have conducted news audits for every General Election since 1992.
The audit for 2017 is concentrating on the main news bulletins on BBC1, ITV, C4, C5 and Sky and all the main daily national newspapers. Coverage is analysed weekly, and the first of four reports was released on Monday 15 May.
The reports provide commentary about the week’s coverage and systematic measurements of which politicians and parties received the most coverage, the proportion of negative and positive coverage of candidates and parties, which issues received greatest prominence and the amount of coverage given to the election.
Unique to the Loughborough study is the historical comparative data available, going back to 1992, which will allow the research team to identify changes and continuities in election reporting.
The audit is being led by Professors David Deacon, John Downey, James Stanyer and Dominic Wring from the Department of Social Sciences.
Speaking about the audit Professor Wring said: “For most people the media is their primary source of information when it comes to deciding who to vote for. Therefore the role and importance of the media in elections should not be underestimated. Being able to see who and what is making the headlines is very important.”
The team’s methodology, full weekly reports (as they become available) and further analysis can be found at the University’s General Election 2017 web page.
View the press release on the Loughborough University website for further information and resources.
Loughborough is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.
It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.
Loughborough is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.
Loughborough is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, Loughborough has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.
Specialising exclusively in postgraduate-level study, Loughborough University London is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers cutting-edge master’s and PhD degrees, as well as business collaboration, research and enterprise opportunities.
The seven specialist institutes at Loughborough University London include: Design Innovation, Digital Technologies, Diplomacy and International Governance, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, International Management, Media and Creative Industries, and Sport Business. Close industry partnerships with a wealth of leading businesses and creative organisations means teaching and learning is informed by real-life challenges and driven by true industry pressures.