politics
Political communication: from policy to marketingYulia Malkina reviews a book on political communication that argues it’s now more about marketing than policy.
Free event: politics, sport and the common goodAcademics, polticians and sports specialists are coming together to debate how sport can be used for the common good.
Italy: the clean-up after the partyItaly’s in a mess, but there’s now a desire for change as Miriam Pelusi reports.
Students investigate lobbyingMore than 50 international students came together to study the contentious issue of lobbying in the European Union.
Blogs for the boysWill the end of ‘command and control’ bring an end to the boys’ club dominating political communication? Rebecca Ramsdale hopes so.
Why a Scottish nation would be good for growthThe referendum on Scottish independence is approaching. Kenny Murray argues that a Scottish nation would be good for business, including PR.
Changing challenges for public affairsThe operating environment for public affairs people is now more multi-faceted and fast changing than at any time in its history, says Peter Wynne Davies.
Has government communication gone bonkers?Ruth Garland reports on her research project ‘Measuring “spin” in government communications’ which set out to analyse the text of government press releases to see whether they contained any empirical evidence of “spin”.
Hacks and flack jacketsDavid Piggott reports on the Maggie Nally Memorial Lecture given by Richard Gizbert of Al Jazeera.
Student wins prize for political cartoonAn undergraduate studying on the BA Honours Illustration degree at the University of Westminster, has won the prestigious ‘Political Cartoon of the Year 2011′ prize awarded by the Political Cartoon Society.
Win a place for dinner in parliamentCIPR students are invited to write their way to a place at the prestigious Maggie Nally Lecture and buffet dinner at the Houses of Parliament.
Beyond bunga-bunga: letter from ItaliaAs Italy veers between farce and tragedy, political debate has moved from the piazza to a Twitter hashtag, reports Miriam Pelusi.
State of the unionFollowing election victory in May, the Scottish National Party is pressing ahead with a referendum on independence. Graeme Forbes reports from Scotland on the state of the union.
Referendum campaigns reviewedIt’s the first national referendum in his lifetime, and Alec Vickerson reviews the campaign tactics.
AV yes or no?On 5 May, we have a chance to vote in a referendum on the voting system for Westminster elections. Journalism student Ismail Mulla makes the case for voting ‘yes’ and freelance writer and ‘future PR girl’ Louise Atkinson explains why she’s voting ‘no’.
The Net Delusion: How Not to Liberate the WorldToby Margetts reviews Morozov’s critical view on social media, discussing whether it becomes an enabler for freedom or for dictatorship
Political blogging: can it reach young people?Young people tend to be disengaged from party politics. For her dissertation, Bethany Ansell explored whether political blogging could make a difference.
Sixteen is old enough to voteSixteen and seventeen year olds can get married, have a child and join the armed forces. They may pay taxes yet they can’t elect MPs and local councillors whose decisions affect their lives. Alex Delaney, chair of the British Youth Council, argues it’s time for change.
Sorry Twitter, this election will be won on the doorstepThough the election has only just started officially, candidates have been campaigning for months. Clare Siobhan Callery follows a Conservative candidate round a rural West Yorkshire constituency and discovers that elections are fought on the doorstep, not on the internet.
Lobbying sting leads to new calls for changeA Channel 4 investigation into politicians and the lobbying industry has led to renewed calls to regulate, as Jack Adlam explains.
None of the aboveWhen it comes to voting, many young people don’t bother. Emma Lister canvasses opinions on why fellow students are reluctant to place an X on the ballot paper.
Nowhere webDo online communities necessarily have less value and meaning than those in the real world, asks Laura Smith.
Election 2010: a tale of three halvesOur electoral system encourages two-horse races, but as Mark Pack explains there are more than two sides to the coming election.
Gordon Brown: moody monster or man for the moment?Leadership qualities are vital in winning elections. Nichola Bottomley and Sarah Whyte ask if Gordon Brown has what it takes.
Online campaigning lessons from the USWe know how important social media was in Barack Obama’s campaign. But what lesons have been learnt for UK party politics asks Jag Singh.
Elections need X Factor (and text factor)More young people vote in The X Factor than in General Elections. Surely it’s time to learn lessons from this, says Lucy Hird.
Time for election 2.0?The successful use of social media by the Obama campaign is widely admired. But have British politicians learnt the lessons, asks James Knight.
Politics in Romania, twenty years onTwenty yeas on from the collapse of the Ceacescu regime, Romania is a democratic member of the European Union. Adi Zabava explains how the recent presidential campaign was fought in this young democracy.
Students leave classroom for class warForget Paris 1968 and the Kent State anti-Vietnam war protests. The face of student protest in 2009 involves web tools and a heavy dose of irony.
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Behind the Spin is a magazine for public relations students and young practitioners. It is supported by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations and based at UK universities with CIPR-approved public relations degree courses. You are welcome to visit and comment; to contribute please contact the editor.
