Sounbite politics to take place of party broadcasts
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.COLIN BROWN
and ALEX BENADY
Soundbite politics, which have lowered dramatically voters' boredom threshold, are threatening the survival of Party Political Broadcasts on television.
An idea going the rounds in the Labour Party, supported by media chiefs from the other two main parties, is for shorter, sharper PPBs of no more than 2.5 minutes because they believe they will have a better chance of keeping their audience.
In an increasingly media-literate world, PPBs have suffered by comparison with more slick and better produced adverts. As well as being punchier, shorter PPBs would allow parties to concentrate resources and produce more polished material to hold viewers' attention.
Labour's suggestion is to halve the length of the normal five-minute broadcasts, but to screen them twice as often. The initiative is due to be discussed later this autumn when politicians and broadcasters meet to settle next year's allocation of PPBs.
The prospect of getting the message across has produced a rare display of cross-party unity.
"People are accustomed now to absorbing information in short, densely packed bursts. If a political point can't be made in five minutes or less we question its validity," said a Labour Party spokeswoman.
The Conservatives also welcomed the idea. "We will certainly be open to talking about it. You don't always need a long slot, it depends entirely on what you are trying to do with a broadcast," commented Hugh Colver, the Conservatives' Director of Communications.
The Liberal Democrats said they, too,would "look at the proposal with an open mind".
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments