Newspapers remain hostile to Labour in their election coverage
Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn
In its second report analysing media coverage of the General Election Loughborough University has found national newspapers to be overwhelmingly negative in their coverage of Labour.
Although Jeremy Corbyn has topped the list of most frequently reported political figures in the second week of formal campaigning – with several other Labour representatives also climbing up the chart – the majority of coverage has been critical of the party and its manifesto.
| Postion | Politician | % |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (2) | Jeremy Corbyn (Lab) | 27.7% |
| 2 (1) | Theresa May (Cons) | 24.2% |
| 3 (4) | John McDonnell (Lab) | 6.0% |
| 4 (3) | Tim Farron (Lib Dem) | 5.6% |
| 5 (-) | Michael Fallon (Cons) | 3.3% |
| 6 (17) | Emily Thornberry (Lab) | 2.7% |
| 7 (8) | Nicola Sturgeon (SNP) | 2.5% |
| 8 (-) | Jonathan Ashworth (Lab) | 2.3% |
| 9 (19) | Vince Cable (Lib Dem) | 2.1% |
| 10 (7) | Paul Nuttall (UKIP) | 2.1% |
| 11 (-) | Philip Hammond (Cons) | 1.9% |
| 12 (-) | Gordon Brown (Lab) | 1.7% |
| 13 (15) | David Cameron (Cons) | 1.5% |
| 14 (-) | Leanne Wood (PC) | 1.5% |
| 15 (-) | Boris Johnson (Cons) | 1.3% |
| 16 (20) | Patrick McLoughlin (Cons) | 1.3% |
| 17 (-) | Diane Abbott (Lab) | 1.3% |
| 18 (-) | Andrew Gwynne (Lab) | 1.0% |
| 19 (-) | Angela Rayner (Lab) | 1.0% |
| 20 (-) | Tom Watson (Lab) | 1.0% |
Results in the report are derived from detailed content analysis of weekday news coverage of the General Election, compiled by experts in Loughborough University’s Centre for Research in Communication and Culture (CRCC).This week’s report also revealed:
- As a general trend, newspapers have focused more coverage on attacking the parties they disapprove of, than reporting positive issues connected to the parties they support
- In the second week of campaigning Brexit has received lower levels of coverage
- The issues upon which the Conservative party would prefer to campaign remain at the foreground of media debate
Read the full General Election media analysis report.