As circulations fade and alternative sources of news and commentary spread across the media universe, the impact of Conservative-aligned national newspapers on elections is declining. Gone are the days when the combined might of the Sun’s front page and the leader columns of the Times, Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph could claim to sway floating voters, such as the stereotyped Mondeo Man or Worcester Woman, to put an X by the name of a Tory candidate. But if these once-mighty titles have lost some of their power, they remain highly influential. So while they may not directly persuade a newly minted “Whitby woman” how to vote on 4 July, they still shape arguments inside Westminster and among the membership of the political parties, feeding social media and setting the broadcasting news agenda.
Veteran political journalist Andrew Neil, now back inside the Times stable steering its radio listeners in the runup to polling day, has admitted that newspapers’ collective influence “is nothing like it used to be”. Speaking last week, he cited the damage once done to Labour by the “red tops”, with Sun headlines such as the famous 1992 screamer, “If Kinnock wins today will the last person to leave Britain please turn out the lights”, and suggested that the digital pages, newsletters and podcasts put out by leading Tory titles have nothing like the same visceral impact. But Neil also argues that British newspapers retain greater muscle than those in the US and other European countries, where he said there are no truly nationwide news publications.
