Newspapers are ‘manufacturing dissent’

The rise of newspaper support for single-issue campaigns is setting the political agenda, according to a new Demos report

It finds that newspapers looking for ways to increase circulation and enter the political debate are no long simply reporting protests, from the mass demonstrations before the Iraq war to the fuel protests, they are shaping them.

The report’s author, journalists Kirsty Milne, says the press is “manufacturing dissent” in a way that strikes a chord with the public and challenges politicians.

She says: “Political parties are not good at responding to single-issue campaigns – and the press is filling the gap. These new coalitions – of protesters in search of publicity and newspapers in search of readers – are competing with elected representatives to set the political agenda.”