Politics and the Media: Intra- and Inter-Party Debates

Abstract

In the half-century since the formation of Britain’s commercially funded broadcasting network, Independent Television News service has enjoyed mixed fortunes. Although 2005 may have witnessed the closure of ITV’s dedicated news channel and uncertainty over the status and quality of its mainstream outputs, its primary legacy to current affairs reporting remains secure. Specifically, the ITN pioneered a less deferential, more questioning style of broadcast journalism which helped to transform the relationship between politicians and the media. In the short-term this forced major changes in the BBC’s approach and, over a far longer period, inspired innovations that some critics contend have fostered an overly cynical news culture.¹ The perceived decline of public trust for politicians in recent years has been attributed to this more aggressive media approach.