The media shaping the agenda - The Guardian's 'Tax-Gap' series

The Guardian has been running a series of features under the name ‘Tax-Gap’ over the past couple of weeks. I have read a number of the articles which show how companies based in the UK are avoiding UK tax contributions by locating parts of their business, such as trademarks and brand names, in low duty countries such as Ireland, Switzerland and Holland.

The campaign has impressed me because the Guardian has actively put on the news agenda an issue that is of interest to the public especially in the current economic climate in which tax payers money is being used to stabilise the economy. But what power do the media have in prompting action by the government in relation to the issues it raises?

On the front of the Guardian on Thursday 19th February, nearly two weeks after the ‘Tax-Gap’ series started, the leading story was titled, “Brown targets Switzerland in global tax haven crackdown”. It reports that Gordon Brown has been negotiating with world leaders a tough regulatory system for tax and banking that will cover every country. The framework is likely to be discussed at the G20 summit in London in April, which Brown will chair.

It would be niave to say that Gordon Brown’s action is a direct result of the Guardian’s campaign or that it is just a coincidence that the story appears on the front page. However I think it is fair to say it makes a difference by putting the issue in the public realm and creating a feeling that this is something the public want addressed. The government will have been well aware of the Guardian’s campaign and the potential feelings the campaign invokes in the public.

This is where the media plays a vital role in holding government accountable in a way the average Joe never could. The homepage says: “[The series] has taken a team of specialists more than three months and involved checking scores of trademark registers and sets of company accounts in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Ireland.”

In the ‘Reaction to the tax-gap series’ page on the Guardian website one commenter says:

“What you are doing is what I feel is one of the primary reasons for papers to exist. Keep up the good work" Alan C Rollins, Tallahassee, Florida, 8 February

I would tend to agree.

Media, Communication and Society - An Introduction

Welcome to my new blog.

Over the last few years I have become increasingly aware of the power the media have in shaping peoples’ perceptions and educating them. At times I have been pleased to see the media exercise this power in a responsible manner and at times I have been outraged at the irresponsible approach they have taken.

My undergraduate dissertation concluded that a tabloid newspaper helped to create and reinforce misconceptions about asylum and immigration in the UK. For example, I found that asylum and immigration was put strongly on the news agenda in the aftermath of the London bombings in 2004. However the bombings had no direct connection to asylum seekers. Such association can intensify ethnic tensions in an already heated community.

Furthermore, last year I watched from a Muslim country, already uncomfortable with the perceptions of the west towards their country and culture, as the Archbishop of Canterbury was lamented in the British media for comments he made about Shariah law. These comments, in my opinion, were overblown and misrepresented by the media. It showed misunderstanding on the part of British culture towards Muslim culture. How do stories like this impact cultural understanding and international relations?

On the other hand the media plays a role in holding public institutions accountable and this is a core responsibility for it in a democratic society. Just a couple of weeks ago, undercover reporters from the Sunday Times exposed four House of Lord peers for offering to amend bills for their clients in return for money. This scoop is clear evidence of the media doing their job.

I was actually surprised to hear Lord Robert Winston on the BBC’s ‘This Week’ questioning the integrity of the media in recording the peers inside the House of Lords because it is banned to do so. To me it is more important for the media to expose the Peer’s alleged wrongdoing.

What has also become apparent to me is that the government recognise the power the media have in society and I believe a new paradigm has emerged in which political communication is primary to political position. I am nearing the completion of Alastair Campbell’s Diary and have been continually surprised at the extent of the power struggle he describes between the government and the media to shape the news.

For the next six months my blog will focus on highlighting these trends and seek to draw conclusions as to what role the media plays in British society, and to what extent this role is influenced by decision makers.