“In the past, controlling what people were reading about the election was as simple as squaring the BBC, ITV, and a handful of papers, according to Jim Waterson, the Guardian’s political media editor. However, in 2024, this strategy no longer works. Jim explains how media habits have changed over the last couple of decades, with Labour and the Conservatives now targeting voters in different places. This shift is evident in Keir Starmer’s appearances in women’s magazines and podcasts, where he discusses football endlessly. Jim also highlights the challenge of assessing how well political messages are landing online.”
Election 2024’s battleground: your family WhatsApp group | News
“In the past, you just needed to square the BBC, ITV and a handful of papers, and you controlled what people were reading about the election,” Jim Waterson, the Guardian’s political media editor, tells Helen Pidd.
But that doesn’t work in 2024. “You’ve got to go into different places, which is why you see Keir Starmer popping up with profiles in women’s magazines or going on podcasts to talk endlessly about football.”
Jim explains how our media habits have changed in the last couple of decades, how Labour and the Conservatives are targeting voters, and why it’s difficult to see how well political messages are landing online.
Photograph: WestEnd61/REX
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https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2024/jun/12/election-2024s-battleground-your-family-whatsapp-group