Stephen Cushion
@stephencushion.bsky.social
Professor of journalism & political communication at Cardiff University & night time ๐ for my kids
Communication & Media Studies
60%
Political science
20%
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
Important thread about how the BBC mitigates political polarisation in the ๐ฌ๐ง because itโs so widely consumed compared to the ๐บ๐ธ where people rely on a wide range of information sources ๐
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
Iโd love to see any editorial guidelines you can send on where the importance of number of MPs is considered to be important as opposed to opinion polls
Thanks Carl. But what do you mean by saying the result was โinaccurateโ? Weโve not argued that the bbc was inaccurate.
Blog โ Researching the impartiality of political news
www.enhancingimpartiality.com
There should be more evidence based monitoring but thatโs what our project is doing (see below for monitoring & survey studies). I think the bbc very conscious of criticism but how they report politics is similar to other broadcasters who donโt receive criticism: www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog
All good debating points - the impartiality rules are flexible and open to a considerable degree of editorial discretion
New impartiality study: Contrasting media coverage of the Caerphilly by-election in Wales with UK-wide news: how did broadcasters balance parties and leaders? Thread 1/10 www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/caerphi...
Contrasting media coverage of the Caerphilly by-election in Wales with UK-wide news: how did broadcasters balance parties and leaders? โ Researching the impartiality of political news
In UK-wide media, the Caerphilly by-election result was framed around Reform UKโs defeat, the terminal decline of Labour in Wales, and the implications for Keir Starmerโs UK government in Westminster....
www.enhancingimpartiality.com
Thanks for covering. Full study can be read here @josiah.writes.news - bsky.app/profile/step...
BBC News, coverage of Reform UK | Contact the BBC
We've received complaints from people who feel there is too much coverage of Reform UK.
www.bbc.co.uk
The bbc explained judgement - see below - which related to opinion polls trumping past electoral performance (no. of MPs). It would be fascinating to see past bbc guidelines to check critters had changed e.g. if importance of MPs and surveys has changed: www.bbc.co.uk/contact/comp...
Reposted by Stephen Cushion
The worst person to be in Wales
A crisis we are just accepting
open.substack.com
"The main UK BBC analysis of the Caerphilly result read: 'Extraordinary by-election humbles Westminsterโs big beasts' with a narrative centred on the decline of Labour & the Tories.
"Plaid Cymru, who won by 11%, was the fourth party mentioned." Its leader was not.
Farage had a photo AND quotes.
"Plaid Cymru, who won by 11%, was the fourth party mentioned." Its leader was not.
Farage had a photo AND quotes.
Hi Carl. Yes, we took guidelines into account. : โOur study cannot determine whether there has been a โdisproportionateโ level of Reform coverageโฆ It remains a subjective judgement based on broadcastersโ internal discussions about howโฆthey want to weight coverage according to a range of criteriaโ.
The BBCโs in a mess, but itโs not the mess you think www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...
The BBC has bigger impartiality problems than its coverage of Trump
It is the BBCโs entire governance structureโrather than individual storiesโthat should cause most concern
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
Important article shining a light on how BBC News regulates itself, including when confronted by allegations of breaching impartiality ๐
Reposted by Stephen Cushion, Margot C. Finn
The BBC has bigger impartiality problems than its coverage of Trump
It is the BBCโs entire governance structureโrather than individual storiesโthat should cause most concern
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
The BBCโs in a mess, but itโs not the mess you think www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...
UK-wide broadcasters framed the coverage of the Caerphilly by-election result not around Plaid Cymruโs victory but the implications for the Labour Party and Reform UK, according to research carried out at Cardiff University โ๏ธMartin Shipton nation.cymru/news/plaid-c...
Plaid Cymru's Caerphilly victory overshadowed by UK broadcasters' obsession with Reform UK and Labour
Martin Shipton UK-wide broadcasters framed the coverage of the Caerphilly by-election result not around Plaid Cymruโs victory but the implications for the Labour Party and Reform UK, according to rese...
nation.cymru
Our new @cujournmedcul.bsky.social study of how the #Caerphilly by-election was reported featured in @nation.cymru - the distinction between how Wales and UK-wide media cover the Senedd elections next year could be significant given more people rely on news produced in England than in Wales ๐
Reposted by Stephen Cushion
NationCymru
@nation.cymru
ยท 4d
Plaid Cymru's Caerphilly victory overshadowed by UK broadcasters' obsession with Reform UK and Labour
Martin Shipton UK-wide broadcasters framed the coverage of the Caerphilly by-election result not around Plaid Cymruโs victory but the implications for the Labour Party and Reform UK, according to rese...
nation.cymru
UK-wide broadcasters framed the coverage of the Caerphilly by-election result not around Plaid Cymruโs victory but the implications for the Labour Party and Reform UK, according to research carried out at Cardiff University โ๏ธMartin Shipton nation.cymru/news/plaid-c...
Reposted by Anand Menon, Stephen Cushion
The UKโs fact-checkers are sending their AI to help Americans cover elections - Poynter
From person-to-person coaching and intensive hands-on seminars to interactive online courses and media reporting, Poynter helps journalists sharpen skills and elevate storytelling throughout their car...
www.poynter.org
Despite shifting politics and declining support for the industry, Dudfield said the goal hasnโt changed. โWeโre fact-checkers. We check facts,โ
Thanks - we'd like to but our project is primarily focused on media required to be impartial. But you're right it would be useful to widen the net of media we monitor.
Full study was produced by @mattwalshjourno.bsky.social @perkinskeighley.bsky.social @maxwellmodell.bsky.social and myself at @cujournmedcul.bsky.social - and funded by the AHRC Thread Ends.
On X, the parties most referenced in political coverage generally was Labour (39.4%, 28), followed by Reform UK (22.5%,16), the Conservatives (21.1%, 15), Plaid Cymru (15.5%, 11), and the Welsh Liberal Democrats (1.4%, 1) 9/10
On BBC News at Ten, the time provided to the Reform candidate UK (1m 01s) was much longer than those given to candidates from Labour (36 seconds), Plaid Cymru (30 seconds) and the Conservatives (16 seconds). Nigel Farage was the only UK party leader referenced. 8/10
โฆ.the Green Partyโs Gareth Hughes (10), the Liberal Democratsโ Steve Aicheler (10), the Green Partyโs Gareth Hughes (10), Gwladโs Anthony Cook (5) and UKIPโs Rogar Quilliam (5). 7/10
Reform UKโs Llลทr Powell was the most referenced by-election candidate on TV and online news (19), followed by Labourโs Richard Tunnicliff (16), the Conservativeโs Gareth Potter (13), Plaid Cymruโs Lindsay Whittle (13)โฆ 6/10
Other key findings include: Labour was the protagonist in 19 news items, compared to 11 for Reform UK, 4 for the Conservatives and twice for Plaid Cymru. 5/10
Given more people in Wales rely on UK-wide news than news produced in Wales, this could prove a significant influence in what news and analysis people are exposed to before they cast their vote next May 2026. 4/10
Looking ahead to the 2026 Senedd election, if Reform are still leading the polls in the UK but neck-and-neck with Plaid Cymru in Wales, there could be a major divergence in how broadcasters in Wales allocate airtime to parties during the campaign compared to UK network news. 3/10
References to Caerphilly by-election candidates on TV and Online News
A Flourish data visualization by Maxwll Modell
public.flourish.studio
UK-network coverage was largely framed around the decline of Welsh Labour & Reformโs political ascendancy. There was more balanced party coverage in national media in Wales, but the Reform by-election candidate was the most referenced during the campaign 2/10 public.flourish.studio/visualisatio...
Contrasting media coverage of the Caerphilly by-election in Wales with UK-wide news: how did broadcasters balance parties and leaders? โ Researching the impartiality of political news
In UK-wide media, the Caerphilly by-election result was framed around Reform UKโs defeat, the terminal decline of Labour in Wales, and the implications for Keir Starmerโs UK government in Westminster....
www.enhancingimpartiality.com
New impartiality study: Contrasting media coverage of the Caerphilly by-election in Wales with UK-wide news: how did broadcasters balance parties and leaders? Thread 1/10 www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/caerphi...
Reposted by Stephen Cushion
TalkTV breached impartiality rules with allegations about cancelled local elections, Ofcom finds
Claim that elections were cancelled because ministers were โterrified of Reformโ given rare rebuke by regulator
tinyurl.com
Ofcom has ruled TalkTV breached its impartiality rules after host Kevin OโSullivan claimed the UK Government had โcancelledโ local elections out of fear of Reform UKโs rise in the polls.
๐ tinyurl.com/u55jmwbp
TLDR ๐
#impartialityproject #politicalnews #politicaldiscourse #Ofcom #impartality
๐ tinyurl.com/u55jmwbp
TLDR ๐
#impartialityproject #politicalnews #politicaldiscourse #Ofcom #impartality
NEW: Rupert Murdoch's Talk breached impartiality rules in a show that repeatedly said Labour had cancelled local elections out of fear of Reform.
A rare move from Ofcom - but is this a change in approach?
It hasn't issued these rulings often recently...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
A rare move from Ofcom - but is this a change in approach?
It hasn't issued these rulings often recently...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Talk breached impartiality rules with allegations about cancelled local elections, Ofcom rules
Claim that elections were cancelled because ministers were โterrified of Reformโ given rare rebuke by regulator
www.theguardian.com
A potentially important moment in Ofcom regulation well outlined here - does this represent a Nandy effect or just a one off intervention?
Reposted by Stephen Cushion
Talk breached impartiality rules with allegations about cancelled local elections, Ofcom rules
Claim that elections were cancelled because ministers were โterrified of Reformโ given rare rebuke by regulator
www.theguardian.com
NEW: Rupert Murdoch's Talk breached impartiality rules in a show that repeatedly said Labour had cancelled local elections out of fear of Reform.
A rare move from Ofcom - but is this a change in approach?
It hasn't issued these rulings often recently...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
A rare move from Ofcom - but is this a change in approach?
It hasn't issued these rulings often recently...
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reposted by Stephen Cushion
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
tinyurl.com
Today on Newscast Kemi Badenoch discussed her love of the Marvel, comparing her leadership to a superhero origin story.
Kemi is not the first Tory leader to do this. Rishi Sunak also presented himself as a popular nerd, talking about Star War.
I wrote about this in Journalism
tinyurl.com/49krntzr
Kemi is not the first Tory leader to do this. Rishi Sunak also presented himself as a popular nerd, talking about Star War.
I wrote about this in Journalism
tinyurl.com/49krntzr