Click-bait content might be an unwelcome addition in the age of digital-first news, but there is a still room for a more traditional and insightful style of reporting that is central to British newsbrands, senior political journalists have argued.
Newsworks’ Shift 2015 – an annual gathering of publishers, advertisers and journalists – saw six senior newspaper bods take to the stage for a revealing debate on the power of the press in modern politics.
Chaired by The Sunday Times‘ Sarah Baxter, the panel – made up of the Sunday Telegraph’s Sue Cameron, the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland, the Mirror’s Kevin Maguire, the Independent’s Steve Richards and the Daily Mail’s Andrew Pierce – shared some of their favourite political stories with lively reminiscence – from the rivalry between Gordon Brown and Tony Blair during the Labour years (that many of the panellists had encountered first-hand), to Ed Miliband’s infamous struggle with a bacon sandwich.
Yet perhaps most crucially, the session reflected upon the power and influence that the press has on politics, with the Sunday Telegraph’s Cameron arguing that newspapers will be even more influential in this year’s general election because of how tight the outcome is likely to be.
Indeed, the influence of the press was highlighted by the Telegraph’s “cash for access” sting, which saw Sir Malcolm Rifkind resign as a Conservative MP, as well as stepping down as chairman of Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee – coincidentally as the panel debate was in session.
The Independent’s Steve Richards also said that newspapers still pack political punch, whilst the Mirror’s Maguire said that people who buy and read newspapers are far more likely to vote than those who do not, suggesting there is a higher engagement level with print readers.
When asked to give their predictions for the upcoming general election, Richards predicted a Labour majority but with a hung parliament, with Maguire largely agreeing, while Freedland thinks whatever the outcome Cameron will remain Prime Minister. Pierce said that Scotland will be Labour’s undoing, while Sue Cameron thinks it will result in a minority government.
