New blog to be developed. This blog will be used for discussion of contemporary issues raised in our latest publications. 

 

Bad News for Labour cover

There has been an extraordinary media output on the issue of Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour Party and antisemitism. Accusations about the Labour party make headlines on a daily basis. Claims that it is ‘institutionally racist’ under Corbyn’s leadership are now common place. In the three years after he became Labour leader there were over five thousand news stories and articles in the national press alone. 

 

The book examines the impact of this coverage on public beliefs about the Labour Party. A poll especially commissioned from Survation shows that on average the public believes that 34% of Labour members have been reported for antisemitism. A key question for the authors is how could so many people come to believe this when the actual figure was far less than one per cent. Shrouded in confusion, hyped by the media, the cool analysis of evidence has been lost.

 

This new study analyses the reality of antisemitism, how it has come to be misunderstood in public debate and the best way to fight all forms of racism.

 

 Reviews

 

'The essays in this book provide evidence and arguments that are deeply troubling for all concerned, and demand careful attention.'

Peter Golding, Emeritus Professor, Northumbria University

 

'At last! Here is a book that rigorously examines the facts behind the allegations of antisemitism in the Labour Party. The reality is more shocking, and more surprising, than the headlines in the press would have you believe. Here is the evidence - read it. Then learn the lessons suggested here.'

Ken Loach

 

‘What the careful research reported in this book reveals is a successful disinformation campaign. Anyone who cares for facts needs to read it.’

Colin Leys, honorary professor at Goldsmiths University of London

 

‘Reading this timely book convinces me that the media campaign against antisemitism in the Labour Party is similar to the media onslaught on the ‘loony left’ in the 1980s. Both campaigns connected to some disturbing truths: and both inflated and weaponised these truths for political purposes.’

Professor James Curran, Goldsmiths, University of London

 

'This compelling, thoughtful text is essential reading for everyone on the left wanting to confront antisemitism. It provides a benchmark for future research and strategy when tackling this explosive issue of our time.'

Lynne Segal, Birkbeck University of London

 

The book is available on this link from 20 September 2019. 

 

History and Methods of the Media Group

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Category: Media Group Topics
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Research Evidence and Media Bias: Reflections on a 1980s dispute  (Adrian Quinn (2006, Media, Culture and Society 28(3): 457-465)

In the first of two essays examining the history of the Glasgow University Media Group, Adrian Quinn looks at the group’s relationship with Independent Television News.

Contary to Claims, Conventions and Culture: An apologia for the Glasgow Media Group  (Adrian Quinn (2007, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics 3(1): 5-24)

In the second part of his history of the GUMG, Adrian Quinn offers a defence of the group’s work, from 1976 to 2006.

The Work of the Glasgow Media Group: An Insider's Story (John Eldridge, 2005, in David Berry and John Theobald, eds., Radical Mass Media Criticism, Black Rose Books)

John Eldridge gives an account of the empirical work of media content and effects studies, and shows how the Media Group has developed a research agenda that looks at the production, content and reception of media messages.

Contribution of the Glasgow Media Group to the Study of Television and Print Journalism (John Eldridge (2000, Journalism Studies 1(1): 113-127)

 Professor John Eldridge's overview of the group's work since 1974, from a position as a founder member.

 The Mass Production of Ignorance (Greg Philo)

 This paper examines key issues in the relationship between television news content and the manner in which audiences respond to it. In past research this relationship has been analysed from various theoretical perspectives. I think elements of each of these can add very importantly to a developed understanding of this issue. In making this case I will draw upon three major studies which were undertaken by the Media Group at Glasgow University that all focussed on news content and public understanding of the developing world.
 

Correspondence between the Media Group and the BBC Director General 1985 - 86

An ongoing exchange between the Media Group and the BBC Director General over the censoring of a Media Group programme about the Falklands War. See Adrian Quinn's Media Group Timeline for more information about this incident. 

Glasgow Media Group, 'Goodies and Baddies', and the New Statesman, 1981 

An exchange between the New Statesman and Glasgow Media Group from the early 1980s. Sparked by an article entitled 'Goodies and Baddies: How Television tells the Labour Story,' a New Statesman front-page story, the exchange ran in the magazine until June 1981.