Mark Pack

Media spin, 1966 vintage

By | Wed 12th October 2011 - 11:55 am

Hello again to an old story which I came across in the archives whilst looking for something else. Trust me, it’s more interesting than the Something Else which, even with the use of capital letters and ominous music, turned out to be a damper squib than the empty chocolate wrapper left in the work kitchen last week.

So instead… it’s back to 1966, again.

During the 1966 general election campaign, Prime Minister Harold Wilson visited the Birmingham Rag Market for a public meeting (scene of a famous* public meeting in the 1964 campaign when the then Prime Minister Alec Douglas-Home got shouted down).

Compare and contrast the media coverage of the time.

Exhibit A: a Labour supporting paper
WILSON GETS THE BETTER OF TORY HECKLERS (The Worker)

Exhibit B: a Conservative supporting paper
HECKLERS GET THE BETTER OF WILSON (Daily Sketch)

However, to be fair, the Tory papers did not present a united reporting front on all issues:

WILSON: 15,000 IN BIG RIOT (Express – page 1 splash story)
MRS. WILSON HIT BY PAPER DART (Mail – small one paragraph story)
 

* Famous to afficonados of mid-1960s political public meetings held in cities beginning with the letter B.

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One Comment

  • Jack Holroyde 13th Oct '11 - 11:27am

    Bless the express. No matter how old or new the article is, you can rest assured that it will maintain their high standards and boost their already excellent reputation as purveyors of High Fantasy.

    BREAKING: ORCS INVADE BRITAIN. JOIN FORCES WITH CENTAUR IMMIGRANTS. EU TO BLAME.

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