Ralph Negrine

The “Americanization” of Political Communication A Critique

This article examines the notion of the “Americanization” of political and campaign communication. Beginning with the literature on the evolution of political communication practices in the United States and their adoption in other political systems, We explore the significance of the seeming convergence of practices and the implications for future patterns of political communication and sociopolitical development. Finally, we seek to link the notion of the Americanization of politics with a discussion of the “modernization” of societies.

Professionalization: Of What? Since When? By Whom?

Professionalization and related words have become the normative way of describing developments in political campaigning and communication in recent years. Reflecting on recent articles in Press/Politics, the authors assert that the use of such terms are confusing and provide little detail as to the actual changes in the nature and conduct of campaigning, when these changes took place, and what forces drove the changes.Professionalization and related words have become the normative way of describing developments in political campaigning and communication in recent years. Reflecting on recent articles in Press/Pol...

Not Big Brand Names but Corner Shops: Marketing Politics to a Disengaged Electorate

ABSTRACT Does New Labours model of a centrally orchestrated and national-centric political communication strategy effectively engage the electorate? Drawing on interviews with those active in politics “on the ground,” this paper argues that the centralised party model has become unpopular. Furthermore, as these activists tell us, the model is also causing the electorate to reject the democratic process and become apathetic about the political system. Many in Britain, therefore, look to a more locally focussed model, one that has proved successful for the Liberal Democrat party. This model allows communication to be managed at the local level and for the candidate to interact with the local context. An effectively marketed, locally contextualised strategy allows politics to connect with the electorate and, we would suggest, will become more widespread with the realisation that top-down politics does not engage with voters.

Parliaments and the Media A Changing Relationship

How has the media coverage of parliaments and politics changed in the last decade? This article seeks to answer this question by exploring the media coverage of parliament and politics in Britain and Germany in 1986 and 1996. Drawing on an analysis of a range of newspapers and broadcast media from these two years, as well as interviews with practitioners and politicians, this article begins to identify the extent, and diverse nature, of those changes and their significance in relation to the degree of access now granted to political actors, to the range of subjects now covered and to the main locations of political coverage. This article argues, finally, that the issues this research raises encompass questions about democracy and citizenship.

The Rise of a Proactive Local Media Strategy in British Political Communication: clear continuities and evolutionary change 1966-2001

Literature on electioneering, political communication and political marketing all suggest that political campaigns are nationally orchestrated, centrally controlled and highly professional; all of which highlight a strong contrast with studies of similar areas thirty years ago. However, evidence based on interviews with current and former MPs and candidates tell a very different story; instead there are strong continuities between the activities pursued during elections in the period 1966-70 and those in the period 1997-2001. There is a greater level of technological support as well as changes in the way the media handle political stories. But the ways that candidates build a profile and gain media coverage are almost identical across this thirty-year period. The key questions this paper poses are: Can we describe political campaigning as a purely centralised activity? Can we describe current electoral candidates as more professional? Is there a clear dichotomy between the activities engaged in thirty years ago and those of the present time?

Turkey and the European Union An Analysis of How the Press in Four Countries Covered Turkey's Bid for Accession in 2004

A B S T R A C T ■ This article examines how the press in four countries — three EU members (France, Britain, Greece) and Turkey — covered the run-up to the discussions surrounding Turkeys bid to become a member of the European Union in October and December 2004. Given contemporary debates about the nature of Europe and European identity, the prospect of Turkey — a large, poor, Muslim country — joining the EU was likely to generate much discussion. The data show important differences in the coverage from one country to the next, with some countries reflecting significant concerns about differences between Europe and Turkey and others much less so. Overall, many of the differences in coverage that were found in the analysis could be attributed to the ways in which the press in different countries reflected domestic political, cultural and historical considerations. Such differences, it is argued, may not be surprising given the complexity of the subject matter and need not necessarily be seen as antithetical to the construction of a European public sphere or a European identity. ■

Sourcing the News: Comparing Source Use and Media Framing of the 2009 European Parliamentary Elections

The relationship between journalists and their sources has been described as an interdependent relationship where each part needs the other. For political actors, this relationship is particularly important during election campaigns, when their need to reach voters through the media is even more urgent than usual. This is particularly true with respect to European Parliamentary election campaigns, as these are often less salient and as peoples need for orientation is greater than in national elections. However, there is only limited cross-national research on the medias use of news sources and whether there are associations between the use of news sources and media framing. This holds true for research on election campaigns in general and on European Parliamentary election campaigns in particular. Against this background, this study investigates cross-national differences and similarities in the medias use of news sources in their coverage of the 2009 European Parliamentary election campaigns and the extent to which the use of news sources is associated with the medias framing of politics and the EU. The study draws upon a quantitative content analysis of the media coverage in twelve countries. Findings suggest that there are both important similarities and differences across countries with respect to the use of news sources and that there are cases when the use of news sources is related to the framing of politics and the EU.

Professionalism and the Millbank Tendency: A Response to Webb and Fisher

This short response examines critically both the analysis and data provided in the Webb and Fisher article concerning the trends towards professionalisation. It calls for a more thorough understanding of the idea of professionalisation and a more careful use of the word when applied to particular organisational contexts.

The role of the UK local press in the local constituency campaign

What role does the local media, particularly the local press play, in the local constituency campaign during UK general elections? Drawing on interviews with MPs and candidates and evidence from a series of content analysis studies of local newspapers, this article reviews the extent to which the local press offers coverage to political actors during and outside the period of the election campaign. It argues that the pressure to court the local media and to build a local profile is rarely matched by extensive coverage and that this should raise questions about the place of the local press in the local constituency campaign. The paper also sets out the strategies used by MPs and candidates to court the local press and argues that this reflects the very limited role that the local press plays within the local constituency in respect of its political coverage.

How did the British media represent European political parties during the European parliament elections, 2014: A Europeanized media agenda?

The European Parliament election of 2014 generated much interest on account of the rise of a whole array of populist ‘anti-EU’ parties. This was widely reported in the British media but did that coverage give British news consumers an insight into the character of these parties, where they stood in relation to one another and where they stood in relation to Britain’s own UKIP? This article sets out to examine not only how much coverage there was in the British media about European political parties but also whether that coverage enabled citizens to get a sense of the political positioning of populist anti-EU parties. These questions touch on the extent to which British media reflect and comment on populist parties, European affairs and hence on the Europeanization of the news agenda.