General election result could be victim of extreme spin by politicians, warns media expert
Following many accusations of spin this week from different political parties, media expert and Professor of Journalism at the University of Sussex, Ivor Gaber , warned that the UK has an increasing problem with ‘extreme spin’, and that the result of the general election could be influenced as a result.
Professor Gaber said: “We do have a problem with what might be called ’extreme spin’ – that is stories, usually coming from political sources, that are sometimes based on a kernel of truth but give the audience a totally false impression.
“But while actual downright lies are rare, extreme spin is becoming more common. The upcoming general election could fall victim to this trend.
“To take a very well-worn example, do we ’spend’ £350 million to the EU every week? No we don’t. Although £350 million isn’t an outright lie, it’s extreme spin. Nor is the suggestion that we ’should’ spend the money on the NHS – chance would be a fine thing, it’s just a suggestion but it sounds like a commitment.”
Speaking at a Sussex Conversation event this week discussing fake news, Demockery and the Media in a Post-Factual Age , Professor Gaber continued: “Fake news is probably a more significant problem in the US than it is here. We have few, if any, sites set up to look like legitimate sources of news which in fact contain straightforward lies, aimed to deceive, make money or sometimes both.”
Posted on behalf of: University of Sussex
Last updated: Friday, 5 May 2017
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