How does the saying go? A picture is worth a thousand words and elections are no different. The uninitiated might think the battle is for copy and content but no. One big, fat visual is enough to make even the most grumpy campaign co-ordinator smile. For a moment anyhow.
So, two and a bit weeks in, a slew of manifesto launches later, who is winning this particular battle?
Never thought I’d be saying this but STV vs the Beeb? No contest. Hats off to Matt Roper, the digital content geek at STV - the commercial channel has wiped the floor with the one what we pay for. And frankly, have a right to expect better from.
STVstole a march with the first televised leaders’ debate and a live blog facility. Its offering includes news, news round ups, live streaming, a postcode searchable facility for your constituency and region, profiles of them and the candidates, blogs and analysis, a twitter stream for all candidates, its pack of reporters assigned a party each, a polling panel, innovative programming and of course, Bernard Ponsonby overseeing proceedings.
What does BBC Scotland offer? A shoestring in comparison. No dedicated election space or heading. A bog standard round up page that scrolls the oldest first (even the burd knows that is a big no-no). There is, though, an impressively designed candidate map with postcode search facility. And of course, Brian’s Blog (Taylor in case you were wondering), though it’s not been updated since Wednesday. Tsk, tsk. It is all a bit, well bitty and half hearted.
The fact remains, though, that newspapers and what they print during the campaign will play a big role in informing the voting public, even if they are no longer the influencers they once were. Looking at this week through the papers’ pictures provides some clues about who they will all be backing and urging their readers to back.
It’s unlikely that the Record will spring a surprise on us this election by transferring its traditional allegiance from Labour. The Tories’ manifesto launch got a whole page (with an image of Annabel looking like she was about to eat the thing), the Lib Dems a paltry half page with a bigger photie of Iain Gray than Tavish Scott, and Labour a full two pages, complete with graphics, analysis and one or two well place pics of the leader. Everyday this week (I think – funnily enough, I’m not an habitual Record reader) Iain Gray’s fizzog featured somewhere, though Nicola Sturgeon also scored a few. If Record readers still can’t recognise Mr Gray at the end of the campaign, it won’t be for its trying.
The Sun appears to be moving towards backing the SNP if its current coverage and slant is any indicator. Some nice pics of Salmond, highly positive coverage, a couple of front page exclusives, all adding up to what seems like a successful wooing. A result in any party’s book.
Of the two Scottish broadsheets, the Scotsman is playing it most canny. Pretty fair, proportionate coverage so far for all the parties and a share of the images. Plenty action shots which they all like: how refreshing that someone is playing nicely. The Herald – well, if they don’t come out for Labour I’m going to be a curry and a tenner down. The Tories got a nice pic of Annabel (with a bizarre rainbow background) and damning headlines for their manifesto launch, but by far and away the best image of Iain Gray this week appeared in Thursday’s edition to coincide with his party’s manifesto launch.
The SNP, of course, tried to steal Labour’s thunder with Brian Cox’s endorsement of the SNP in this election. Did it work? Sort of. A great big splash and clever headline on the front page of the Sun on the morning of Labour’s manifesto launch ensured coverage spilling over into the broadcast news headlines and into other newspapers the following day.
They did the same to the Lib Dems, with the endorsement of Salmond for FM from retiring MSP John Farquhar Munro. They needn’t have bothered – no one was up for covering it much anyway. Yesterday’s people would appear to be the view of the meeja, which tells us a lot.
In terms of news management, the SNP is playing a blinder, though its Scottish Futures Fund launch did fall a bit flat, when such an initiative deserved much more coverage. Its experience tells, not least because they have veteran media man Kevin Pringle at the helm. But they should be careful on two counts. Playing dirty can always backfire, especially when the other parties have time to prepare to counter the SNP’s manifesto launch this coming Tuesday. Moreover, the problem with blizzarding is that news – and pictures, as happened this week – can get lost in the whiteout.
But of course, the images that dominated the week are the ones that Iain Gray will want to forget. Whoever is advising him on media management deserves a dressing down. Or locked in a cupboard until it’s all over and replaced with some more experienced heavyweights.
There’s a Goldilocks effect at play right now. The SNP? Too much. Labour? Too little. The media with its low boredom threshhold and attention span needs to be fed just the right amount of stories and images to sate its appetite. Otherwise, incidents like the one in Glasgow Central station end up dominating the headlines.
Does Labour’s PR fail mark a downward turning point as some journalists and commentators are suggesting? Nah.  A bad media day dents the morale of the party concerned and provides a filip for the opposition. Such incidents provide a day’s news, and while they might entertain the masses for a moment, they do not actually influence the outcome of elections. Anyone remember Jennifer’s ear?