An assessment of the role of the media in the Brexit referendum

Abstract

On June 23rd 2016, the people of Great Britain took a vote to get out of the European Union in the so-called Brexit Referendum. It has been described as being an “acrimonious” and “divisive” campaign because of the exhaustive use of the media. This dissertation intends to investigate the influence of both online and press media, and seeing how these tried to influence the voters when deciding between ‘leave’ or ‘remain’. This study looks at two research questions, with the aim of trying to examine the various strategies adopted by the leaders to make the British public vote for them. The second objective investigates how various policies were discussed; in this case the dominating issues of the Economy and Immigration. The extensive coverage of these topics by Britain Stronger In and Take Back Control was also analysed. A mixed-method research was adopted, which was done through the use of secondary analysis of a questionnaire and documentary analysis; using both primary and secondary data and with the content examination of three well-known newspapers across the UK. The data gathered from these sources were essential to answer the research questions: ‘What were the game plans and strategies of the opposing sides in the BREXIT referendum?’ and ‘How are the policy issues of the Economy and immigration discussed in the front pages of the referendum?’. This investigation wants to show that the media has changed the nature of politics and referendum campaigns. With more people spending time online, the media is becoming more powerful in spreading information and influencing political ideas.