Representations of trade unions in the British press, 2000-2020

英国的工会很难在公众媒体上建立形象。研究表明，工业新闻的衰落导致了主流媒体中工会报道的减少(Seaton，1991)。超过600万人是工会的成员，然而工会及其代表的问题很少在媒体上听到。当报道被接收时，通常被认为是不准确或不公平的(Beharrell&Philo，1977)。理解和解决这些关切可以塑造劳动人民代表权的未来。自上一次重大研究(曼宁，1998年)以来的几十年里，重大事件塑造了政治格局，从新工党、金融危机到新冠肺炎大流行。工会仍然是最大的民主成员组织(Roper，2020)，报纸仍然是制定政策议程、其他媒体议程和塑造公众舆论的关键(McCombs，2004)。其他情况也发生了变化：新兴行业崛起，其他行业衰落，新闻的生产和消费方式已经被技术改变。这如何改变了职场人士发声的方式？这些情况具有民主后果，需要新的学术贡献，考虑工会在不断变化的经济和媒体环境中的经历。这项研究假设，尽管工会在增长，但媒体对工会纠纷的报道仍在减少，有关劳资纠纷的报道主要是雇主和消费者的声音，而不是工人的声音。这项研究试图了解的是：会产生什么效果？该项目今天将研究工会在媒体上的地位：询问以下问题：-工会在媒体中如何代表？-报道如何影响公众舆论？-工会在建立公共媒体形象方面面临哪些挑战和机遇？这个项目寻求建立在我的研究成果的基础上。例如，那些卷入工会纠纷的人经常感到既受到媒体的回避，又受到工会新闻办公室的阻挠(Asquith，2020)。该项目将进一步审问这些经验，并探讨支持工会改善新闻关系的想法。这项研究需要定量和定性的方法：衡量新闻内容和分析人们的经历。跨越2000-2020年期间的特定工会劳资纠纷将形成案例研究。我将审查有关冲突的新闻报道，以确定报道的主题。该项目将获得由工会委托进行的全国民意调查，提供有关媒体报道如何影响公众舆论的硬数据。对这一问题的补充定性方法将通过对工会成员和非成员的访谈和调查提供细微差别和细节。对工会官员、活动人士和记者的进一步采访将解决最后一个问题。该项目最终寻求调查现有媒体-工会关系的长处和短处，以及研究得出的建议如何有助于确定劳工运动的未来。在这样做的过程中，研究将依赖于直接与参与撰写新闻的人和那些寻求塑造新闻的人交谈。将我的样本缩小到特定的报纸和纠纷将有助于确保数据可管理，研究集中，内容分析准确。根据发行量，五家报纸及其在线内容已被确定为消息来源。这些来源构成了政治倾向的扩散。案例研究涵盖了一系列职业、工会规模和人口统计。这项研究还将纳入在研究期间发生的“现场”争论，以捕捉参与者的观点和经验，并在发生时进行报告。在工人运动利益相关者的支持下，这项研究项目提供了一个机会，以产生创新的研究，并更好地理解和塑造未来的工会和英国劳动人民的生活。

Trade unions in Britain have a hard time building a public media profile. Research shows a decline in industrial journalism has led to fewer union stories in mainstream media (Seaton, 1991). More than 6 million people are a member of a union, yet unions and the issues they represent are rarely heard in the press. Coverage, when it is received, is often considered inaccurate or unfair (Beharrell & Philo, 1977). Understanding and addressing these concerns could shape the future of working peoples' representation. In the decades since the last major study (Manning, 1998), momentous events have moulded the political landscape, from New Labour and the financial crash to the Covid-19 pandemic. Trade unions remain the largest democratic membership organisation (Roper, 2020), and newspapers remain key to setting policy agendas, the agenda of other media and shaping public opinion (McCombs, 2004). Other conditions have changed: new industries have emerged while others declined, and the way news is produced and consumed has been transformed by technology. How has this altered the way working people find their voice? These circumstances have democratic consequences and necessitate a fresh academic contribution that considers the trade union experience in a changing economy and media environment. This study hypothesises that, while unions are growing, press coverage of union disputes remains in decline, and stories of industrial disputes are dominated by the voices of employers and consumers, rather than workers. What the study seeks to learn is: to what effect? The project will examine the position of trade unions in the press today: asking the following: -How are trade unions represented in the press? -How does coverage effect public opinion? -What challenges & opportunities do unions face in establishing a public media profile? This project seeks to build on findings from my research. For example, those involved in union disputes often feel both shunned by the media and obstructed by their own union's press office (Asquith, 2020). This project will further interrogate these experiences and explore ideas for supporting unions in improving press relations. This research requires quantitative and qualitative methods: measuring news content and analysing peoples' experiences. Specific union industrial disputes spanning the 2000-2020 period will form case studies. I will examine news coverage of conflicts to determine the themes of reporting. This project will have access to national polling, commissioned by unions, providing hard data concerning how press coverage shapes public opinion. A complementary qualitative approach to this question will offer nuance and detail through interviews and surveys of union members and non-members. Further interviews with union officials, activists and journalists will address the final question. The project ultimately seeks to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of existing media-union relations and how recommendations resulting from the study could help determine the future of the labour movement. In doing so, the research will rely on speaking directly to those involved in writing the news and those seeking to shape it. Narrowing down my sample to specific newspapers and disputes will help ensure data is manageable, research is focused, and content analysis is accurate. Five newspapers, and their online content, have been identified as sources, based on circulation. These sources comprise a spread in political leaning. Case studies cover a range of occupations, size and demographic of union. The research will also incorporate a 'live' dispute, taking place during the research period, to capture the views and experiences of those involved, and reporting as it happens. Supported by stakeholders in the labour movement, this research project presents an opportunity to produce innovative research and better understand and shape the future of trade unionism and working peoples' lives in Britain