Abstract
The transformation in government media relations by New Labour led to accusations of ‘political spin’. Journalists noticed the immediate impact on the “terms of trade” between governments and the media. Politically appointed media advisers rather than civil servants took responsibility for the story of the day, “working with the civil service press people, but typically around them, over them, dealing with handpicked journalists who were being fed the story.” Politicians were responding to what they saw as the reputational threat of media scrutiny by surrounding themselves with trusted and like-minded aides, but this secretive, elite backstage, where selected journalists collude and trade favours with political actors, is not conducive to evaluating or meeting the public information needs of citizens in a democracy.
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Notes
- 1.
This led to protests from government scientists and others. See the exchange of letters between the Science Media Centre and Francis Maude in March 2015 at www.sciencemeidacentre.org/letter-to-francis-maude-regarding-changes-to-the-civil-service-code/
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Garland, R. (2021). The Rise of Politically-Appointed Media Strategists After 1997. In: Government Communications and the Crisis of Trust. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77576-6_5
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