Brexit: The view as it stands

By Abigail Miller and Emily Wilkinson

The Brexit debate in the media and in the rest of the UK has been a divided and, at times, a difficult one. As we move towards March 12^th, can we see a shift in the role the media plays to the public’s attitude to a no deal, no win situation?

With over 51% of votes to leave the EU in June 2016, the media coverage has been equally divided. A report by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism concluded that 41% of the news coverage was pro Leave, with many newspapers backing the Leave campaign, including The Sun and The Daily Mail.

From February to June 2016, the percentage of pro Leave articles declined by 6%, while pro Remain articles increased by only 1%. Much of the Leave campaign was supported by the right wing press, with some still unsure on their stance until the final week of the campaign.

When looking at media coverage of Brexit in the EU, only 18% news items conveyed a clear opinion, according to a study by the University of Oxford. Excluding Ireland, 69% of European news items reported on the impact on Britain, with less than one in five focusing on implications for the EU as whole.

Leading up to the Parliamentary vote on March 12^th, MP’s will have to decide whether the UK can rule out the idea of leaving the EU without a deal and with this, potentially moving the deadline date back by three months.

A panel hosted at London Metropolitan University; Brexit: have we shrunk your world? discussed the ins and outs of Brexit as it stands today, in particular to the potential no-deal Brexit problem.

One panelist Ash Sarkar, 26, a Senior Editor at Novara Media, said the media have a responsibility to do “a lot more work” on covering the EU.

Sarkar spoke about the issues surrounding the disbelief that the UK is showing towards a no deal Brexit “This idea of waking up on the 29^th of March and everything is on fire feeds into a lot of people’s unwillingness to acknowledge that no deal will be a bad idea.”

With more and more publications taking a view on Brexit, the media debate across the UK will continue to grow, possibly leaving the public even more confused.