Time to get serious? Process news and political speechwriting

Conference: UK Speechwriters Guild Spring Conference

Dates: 23 February 2012

Abstract:

In this presentation I will document the increasing tendency of political news to focus on the ‘process’ rather than the ‘substance’ of politics. Process news refers to coverage of campaigning strategies, horse race news, political tensions and infighting; and stories about spin and news management. I argue that whilst many critiques of process news underestimate its value in demystifying aspects of political reality that were once invisible, we should be concerned about the amount of process news and the tendency for it to be framed cynically. I then explore the dynamics of the relationship between political communicators and journalists, and suggest what practical steps could be made to rectify some of the problems associated with process news, in order to create an environment in which citizenship might thrive.

Source: Manual

Preferred by: Dan Jackson