Will the same papers do this for Tory conference too?
As the country’s right-wing press sharpens its cutlery ahead of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech to Labour conference, it’s worth noticing how coverage of the event already displays bias along political lines – and to keep this handy when the Conservative party conference is covered next week.
Consider this your cut-out-and-keep guide to newspaper bias this conference season.
Here are five general trends to watch out for:
1. Prominence – while the Left-leaning Mirror and Guardian have treated the Labour conference as a national story worthy of their front page, most of the conservative press has kept the conference off page 1 (Times, Daily Mail, Daily Express), or relegated it to second or third story (Telegraph).
This is on the morning after Labour’s shadow chancellor gave a speech laying out the party’s economic policies.
One exception is the Sun, which melds its stablemate paper the Times’s splash about Mars with the conference to attack and ridicule the new Labour administration.
This is not the first time this has happened. Earlier this year the Times kept the Labour party’s general election manifesto off the front page, where the Tory manifesto was featured positively.
Will the same newspapers keep the Tory conference off of page 1 next week?
2. Hostile editorials – while the Sun’s front page story is more an opinion column than news coverage, the dedicated editorial pages of the other newspapers are already pummeling the Labour conference.
The Mail’s columns are perhaps the most robust, though supposedly more serious papers like the Telegraph are not far behind.
As ever, this partisan coverage is written with the general public’s best interest at heart…
Will the same newspapers be as critical of the Tory conference, or will they write as critical supporters of the party?
3. Irreverence and mockery – As the Sun recently proved, mockery of politicians (an important practice) is not something the press applies without prejudice. Political sketches of the Labour conference and newspaper cartoons will similarly ridicule Labour with more gusto – today’s Sun front page being a good example.
Can we expect the same treatment for the Tory conference?
4. Ideas described as out of date – Economic, social and defence policies floated by Labour are called old-fashioned and a ‘return to the 1980s/70s’, despite their being the roughly the same vintage as those of the Tories.
Will the policies of the Conservative party be characterised as a return to the past?
5. Splits and disagreements amplified – There is certainly a big gulf between different tendencies within the Labour party over its direction with Corbyn at the helm.
But as the Tory top brass jostle for position (who was the MP and Oxford contemporary who gave Lord Ashcroft the pig story…?) ahead of their own leadership election before 2020, and as splits over the European Union bubble on, threatening to cripple David Cameron’s EU referendum campaign, their conference will surely yield plenty of comparable material.
Will the papers explore (and revel in) these warring factions within the Tory party?
Now it’s over to the papers. Let’s see how their coverage of the Tory conference resolves these questions.
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Adam Barnett is a staff writer at Left Foot Forward. Follow MediaWatch on Twitter
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49 Responses to “Five examples of biased press coverage of the Labour party conference”
woolfiesmiff
Well Stevie I’m sure the Tories can say exactly the same about Corbyn and McDonnell so I think your are still talking yourself into agreeing. Denis Healey said “when you’re in a hole, stop digging”
No I don’t work for newsprint media, I’m an entrepreneur who spends most of my time trying to finish off crap news media like the Mail, Sun, Mirror and Guardian
How would you know what happened 30 years ago, your style of debate would indicate you’re not much past 15
stevep
Oh dear, Wolfie Boy, you`ve really lost the plot! It`s a good job us Lefties have a sense of humour!
Having smoked you out as being one of the wealthy few, it`s small wonder you seek to defend your position and close ranks. Let`s hope you share all that wealth in some way by treating and paying your employees well, recognising Trades Unions, ensuring security of employment etc. All in the name of “Free Market Socialism”, of course.
Just remember, when you`re browsing through “What Yacht” magazine, salivating over your dream purchase and your employees come to you needing a pay rise to make ends meet, we`ll all sleep easier knowing you`re going to do the right thing. In the name of “Free Market Socialism”, of course.
It`s great you`ve realised your dream and ended up where you want to be, just don`t seek to deny others their dreams.
Most people just want a steady well-paid job so they can raise a family and hope that the future is similar for them. That dream has been denied to the majority by 35 years of far-right dogmatic party politics.
In fact, millions of working people need state benefits just to keep their heads above water. Not only is it subsidisation of profit-making, it is just plain wrong.
At least Labour under Corbyn plan to do something about it, not just pretend it isn`t happening and sweep it under the carpet.
Yes, I do know about Labour and the NHS, and yes, about doctors too!
As for the BBC, you must know an awful lot of staff to be able to say that there are 19,990+ lefties working for them!
Funny things, perceptions. 60,000+ people have recently signed a petition demanding that BBC presenters show balance by Calling Cameron Right Wing as well as their usual position of calling Jeremy Corbyn Left Wing.
I expect they all raving Lefties.
Us Lefties woke up and smelt the coffee a long time ago, that`s why Jeremy Corbyn is now leader of the Labour Party.
The thing is, an awful lot of people out there are starting to smell the coffee too, and are ready to do something about it.
Toodle Pip, Wolfie, old fruit!
Freedom for the “Free Market Socialist” state of Tooting!
stevep
Yes, I can remember perfectly well what happened 30, 40 and even 50 years ago and know why it happened, who it happened to, the consequences of it happening et. etc.
That`s why I spend valuable time debating these issues on this site with all manner of people.
You deprecated my style of debate. I tailor it to attacking right wing trolls who feel the need to show up on this site.
I`m sure you stated in a previous rant that the right wing press had little influence on voters opinions. So Corbyn and McDonnell etc. have little to worry about.
You seem worried, though.
You say you spend most of your time trying to finish off crap news media, good. My commendation to you. However, some of it must have rubbed off on you, for sadly, and frankly, you talk a load of crap!
It`s unbecoming of you. I`m sure as a self-educated chap in a responsible position you could find a better choice of words. I`m quite capable of being abusive myself and sometimes vent my frustration on the odd Troll, but mostly prefer to deal with people with knowledge, humour and a little irony!
Love, Peace and Happiness, Wolfie, my old fruit!
And Freedom for the Quasi-democratic, mostly Autocratic Free Market Socialist state of Tooting!
woolfiesmiff
Smoked me out ? Lol more like what are you smoking. Smoked me out ha ha ha I willingly and gladly told you that I’m a very successful businessman, all built on my own talent with no privileges just hard, working class, common sense. I proudly employ 100’s of people and contribute vast amounts of tax to enable us to have effective public services . None of my employees, not one, comes to me needing to make ends meet. In fact a few of them earn vastly more than i do. Really Stevie P you and your dinosaur mates really ought to join the 21st century. The workers now really do own the means of production. If you idiots didn’t support their stupid EU Corporate Capitalist Support organisation , we’d have free markets and far more equality a damn site sooner. I’m proud that free markets have made me and the entire 60 million citizens of the UK the top 7% of global wealthy.
I don’t like yachts, I get sea sick.
woolfiesmiff
By the way Stevie your rant about in work benefits is valid as it happens, of course that was introduced by Gordon Brown under a Labour Govt. However I agree that we need to move away from that and that a living wage is essential to make that happen. You don’t have too wait for Corbyn its already going to happen.
We now have the highest number of people in full time employment EVER at 30 million. There are currently 750,000 unfilled full time vacancies and now more than 5.6 million SME’s. The latest figures show that SME’s are on course to create another 1.4 million new full time jobs in the next 18 months.
50% of current unemployed are actually immigrants, bought in by Labour & EU mates in order to try to undermine workers.
We are starting new businesses at a rate that make the UK the worlds number 2 business start up country, not only that but the survival rate past the critical first year is now 90%. UK manufacturing has now moved up to 5th in the world too. None of this is down to the Tory government theyve no more idea why this is happening than you have. Its a workers free market revolution. You and your handful of Corbynistas are still fighting the 1970’s. The working class now really does own the means of production.