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“The British
Labour Party began serious discussion of the media and their relationship
with political
democracy in the early 1970s. The policies that emerged from this
ran into disagreement and were gradually abandoned. Sean Tunney sets
out to explain why Labour’s press policy was not implemented.
This takes him steadily through the shift in this policy from canvassing
structural changes in the newspaper market in order to deal with
the problem of concentration of ownership, to developing a political
marketing strategy and placing emphasis on effective presentation
and spin… His book presents a clear-sighted survey of the shift
from the Wilson period to now, and offers a new look at New Labour’s
close attention to press management and managed political communications.
It deserves to be widely read.” European Journal of
Communication
“Tunney details the emergence, in the 1970s, of pressures from
trade unions and party members for reform of press ownership and
control. These culminated in the radical proposals of the 1974 discussion
document, The People and the Media, elements of which influenced
the 1983 election manifesto. Differences existed between those who
wanted to promote diversity and others concerned with getting Labour
a voice in the national newspaper market. A succession of electoral
defeats (1979-1992) and the accommodation of the Labour and trade
union leaderships with the neo-liberalism of the Thatcher years,
left progressive policies on ownership, diversity and right of reply
behind. …
This book is a record of failure, despite tremendous efforts of
analysis, time and imagination by reformers, to democratise mass
communications. Yet it is also an account of the complexities
of trying to change press policy and a rich record of the proposals
devised to improve the media. To influence the future we need
to understand our past. Labour and the Press provides readers
with an indispensable aid to understanding and a platform for
reflection on future strategies for change.” Tom O’Malley,
Free Press
“Tunney explains why Labour has been
so troubled by its relations with the press and why this relationship
still matters. His very thorough research
critically scrutinises a variety of radical Labour proposals for press reform
since the 1960s, explaining their shortcomings, as well as the problems they
were designed to solve. His book also traces the origins of New Labour’s
reconciliation with the press oligarchs, exposing the logic and consequences
of a communications
strategy based upon resignation before - often active endorsement of - the plutocratic
status quo.” John Callaghan, Professor of Politics in the History and
Governance
Research Institute, University of Wolverhampton
“This is a meticulously researched book which, by drawing on a wide
range of primary sources, throws a great deal of light onto a hitherto under-researched
aspect of media policy in Britain. Its charting of the developments and shifts
in Labour policy towards the press illuminates not only changes in Labour thinking
on the media in general, and the press in particular, but also the processes
which gave rise to, and have sustained, the whole New Labour project. This
should be required reading for anyone interested in either the British press
or in the changing nature of the Labour Party since World War II.” Julian
Petley, Professor of Film and Television,
Brunel University
“This well-researched and tightly argued book on partisan politics and
media policy making in Britain has valuable lessons for people concerned about
the
interplay of journalism and effective self-governance worldwide. It is one
of the most important books in media studies in years.” Robert W.
McChesney, author of The Problem of the Media
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Based on previously unpublished material, this book tells the story of how the Labour Party transformed its relationship with British national newspapers and their owners. |
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This first book-length discussion of the subject spans over 30 years, from the period of the new left to the dominance of New Labour. |
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A key finding is that tension between Labour’s desire for newspaper coverage, and its policies for diversifying the press, has been an underlying pressure on party policies since the 1970s. |
Labour sought to develop policies regulating newspaper ownership and the role of journalists. It endeavoured to both correct what it perceived as press bias against the Labour Party and to address the broader issues of political and cultural diversity. Labour’s Relationship with the Press provides a lucid analysis of how Labour’s policies on the press sit within the context of the party’s overall development – from Harold Wilson, through the party’s flirtation with Robert Maxwell, to the robust approach of Tony Blair. It offers a fresh insight into New Labour’s concern with press management and political communications. The author demonstrates how tensions of the past shed new light on Labour Party practices of the present.
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List of Contents to follow |
Publication Details
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ISBN: |
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9781845191382 h/b |
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9781845191399 p/b |
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Page Extent / Format: |
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256 pp. / 229 x 152 mm |
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Release Date: |
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October 2006 |
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Illustrated: |
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No |
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Hardback Price: |
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£47.50 / $67.50 |
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Paperback Price: |
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£17.95 / $32.50 |
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