The 2011 Electoral System Referendum in the UK: The Quality of Debate in the Print Media
37 Pages Posted: 30 Aug 2011
Date Written: August 20, 2011
Abstract
The UK held its second nationwide referendum, on reform of the electoral system, in May 2011. This paper analyses the quality of debate that preceded the referendum in the print media. It begins by considering how debate quality in the context of a referendum campaign may best be conceptualized. Then, using content analysis of media coverage and drawing where possible on international comparisons, it investigates three aspects of that debate: its quantity; the balance between Yes and No arguments, and the quality of reasoning. It finds that the quantity of debate was comparable to other recent electoral reform referendums. The coverage was balanced overall but not, on the whole, within individual newspapers. The different indicators of the quality of reasoning present a mixed picture. The paper concludes by considering how the analysis could be developed further, notably through more detailed comparison with other cases.
Keywords: electoral reform, referendum, AV, UK, media, discourse quality
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