The dichotomy between "shirkers" on the one hand and "strivers" on the other is the backdrop against which the coalition is reforming welfare. Building the narrative, however, relies upon a friendly, nay compliant media.
The dichotomy between “shirkers” on the one hand and “strivers” on the other is the backdrop against which the coalition is reforming welfare. Building the narrative, however, relies upon a friendly, nay compliant media.
The graph below, created by Gavin Edwards using data from Lexis Nexis, show the number of times the word “scrounger” has been mentioned in UK newspapers annually since 1994.
I’m not sure there’s anything to add; the graph speaks for itself.
12 Responses to “(Graph) Number of times the word ‘scrounger’ has been used in UK newspapers since 1994”
Foomandoonian
It’s the projection I find most disingenuous. The use of the word clearly increased after the election, but then it stayed at that level for two years, then made another noteworthy jump — so obviously this year the use will skyrocket? I don’t think so. The chart is dramatic enough without an exaggerated estimate.
revolting pedant
Doesn’t look so dramatic on a log scale:
http://i41.tinypic.com/5frrbp.gif
Doesn’t it just show the media getting hold of a phrase. ‘Too far too fast’ would also peak under this gov – more evidence of a biased media?!
Would be better to graph mentions in Hansard, or to filter for direct quotes by politicians (subtracting those saying the word to disagree with its use), and then allow for duplicate stories. But hey, you’re on a roll, don’t let accuracy get in your way.