Framing referendum campaigns: the 2014 Scottish independence referendum in the press

This article explores the framing of referendum campaigns in the press and its relationship to the framing of elections. Drawing from an empirical analysis of the newspaper coverage of the 2014 Scottish referendum and from previous research on campaigns in different contexts, it finds that frames associated with elections, like the strategic game and policy frames, were also dominant in the framing of the referendum. It argues that by framing the independence debate in similar terms to other electoral contests, the press promoted an understanding of this event as being about pragmatic decision-making on policy and political competition, rather than purely a decision about constitutional matters of self-determination

The convenient ambiguity of 'tone': Style and the politics of witnessing in Kate Adie's reporting of the Dunblane tragedy

Kate Adie’s coverage of the 1996 murder of 16 schoolchildren and their teacher in the Scottish town of Dunblane occasioned much critical discussion. Using material from the newly constituted Kate Adie Collection at the University of Sunderland Library, this article looks at aspects of the ‘tone’ and content in Adie’s reports, and reflects upon the ways in which style and practice can position the reporter relative to the affected community. The article highlights the importance of Adie’s established practices and public renown as a high-profile war reporter for the BBC, as well as the socio-political environment of the reports which includes a political resurgence of Scottish nationalism with an associated identity politics. Through critical analysis, the article sets Adie’s reports within a tradition of media ‘bearing witness’ to tragedy, while suggesting that they offer an insight into potential breaches in the assessment of the emotional performativity of witnessing

The construction of a ‘historical moment’: Queen Elizabeth’s 2011 visit to Ireland in British and Irish newspapers

Queen Elizabeth’s visit to the Irish Republic in May 2011 was seen by many as a significant moment in the long process of normalisation in Anglo-Irish relations, facilitated by the peace process in Northern Ireland. For journalists, it was a newsworthy story because it captured the values of this process of peace-making in a concrete, organised media event, involving high-profile heads of state, official speeches and photo opportunities. This article examines the representation of this state visit in British and in Irish daily newspapers, and finds similar coverage across a number of shared themes. Journalists in both countries supported the conciliatory message embedded in the media event, with very little questioning, and marginalised voices of opposition. This approach contributed to an ideological consensus that the conflict between the two countries was in the past, with conciliation and collaboration the only future

Tax, war and waiting lists: The construction of national identity in newspaper coverage of general elections after devolution

This article explores the construction of national identity in the coverage of policy issues during the first two general elections after devolution, in Scottish and in English/UK daily morning newspapers. It focuses on a sample of the coverage of the most mentioned reserved and devolved issue in the 2001 and 2005 campaigns and examines the use of markers of location and deictic references to a national context. It finds that the distinction between reserved and devolved matters is not decisive in how these topics are constructed. The Scottish and English/UK coverage of the Iraq war, taxation and health debates at Westminster is relatively similar, written and presumed to be read in Britain. However, Scottish titles differentiate their output by constructing their readers as having little participation in these 'UK' issues, and by emphasizing the Scottish relevance of topics such as fiscal autonomy for Scotland and waiting lists at Scottish hospitals. Even in that coverage though, the relevant national context occasionally shifts between Scotland and Britain. By contrast, newspapers written in England consistently report from an Anglo-British perspective, making no allowance for the changes brought by devolution