Enhancing the Impartiality of News: An Analysis of Political Reporting

Debates about the impartiality of news media in the UK have intensified in recent years. New broadcasters, such as GB News and TalkTV, have pushed the boundaries of the UK's "due impartiality laws", forcing the regulator, Ofcom, to issue new editorial guidance and sanction some television channels. Yet, accusations of so-called media bias abound, often fuelled by edited clips circulating across online and social media platforms rather than scientific studies of news reporting. Ahead of the next UK general election, this raises challenging but urgent questions about how broadcasters report politics fairly and accurately during a campaign, the degree of public trust and engagement in news reporting, and how impartial journalism can better serve the public. This project will produce a) an evidence-based assessment of the impartiality of broadcast and online media and b) assess the level of public engagement with and understanding of reporting before and after the 2024/5 UK general election campaign. It will develop a comparative analysis of news output, through forensically examining whether media adhere to the UK's due impartiality guidelines leading up to election day, and interviewing editors and journalists about their judgements. Before and after the election, we will conduct a panel survey of the UK population and focus groups with the public to examine their attitudes towards the news media, This will specifically assess how they interpret impartiality, identify any changing perspectives and where journalism can be enhanced. In order to ensure we have a significant impact, we have partnered with the leading broadcasters, the regulator that polices the impartiality of news, and other industry stakeholders (see supporting letters). Our study will critically inform the editorial decision-making of broadcasters, the regulatory judgements of Ofcom, and produce high impact research and academic outputs. This project builds on our established track record of analysing election campaigns and public engagement, and working effectively with broadcasters to transform their reporting and editorial policies. Our research objectives are: 1) To evaluate the impartiality of news, carry out a comprehensive content analysis study of UK general election reporting. 2) To examine public attitudes towards the news media, conduct a representative panel survey of the UK population before and after the UK general election campaign, as well as twelve focus groups. 3) To understand how impartiality is applied during the UK general election campaign and identify where editorial standards can be improved, carry out 30 semi-structured interviews with the UK's leading editors and journalists. This research will inform the following outputs, engagement and impact which will include the following objectives: 4) To produce blogs and share findings during and after the campaign to inform future editorial judgements and generate public debate. 5) To work collaboratively with the most influential UK broadcasters and the media regulator to raise editorial standards in political reporting and better serve the public. 6) To create a worldwide centre of excellence for impartiality of news research, producing cutting-edge academic outputs and encouraging international studies.