✅ An optimistic call for civil discourse ahead of the General Election
Your week ahead in management, media and public relations
The latest Wadds Inc. report for NewsWhip spotlights the media effect of socio-political polarisation. The report identifies three media drivers of polarisation: social media's role as a firestarter, media laundering and amplification.
Notably, Vijay Rangarajan, Chief Executive of the Electoral Commission, called for campaigners to engage respectfully and constructively with opposing viewpoints as the General Election in the UK was announced last week.
“Campaigning can and should take place without anyone experiencing threats, abuse or intimidation,” said Rangarajan.
It is unlikely that solutions for societal polarisation will come from politics or the media, as both have vested interests in the attention that it generates. However, businesses can be important in addressing this issue by balancing corporate values with stakeholder expectations and developing nonpartisan strategies to unite people.
Please join NewsWhip CEO Paul Quigley and I for a webinar at 5pm BST, tomorrow 29 May. We'll explore the report's findings and discuss data-led insight into building effective business and communications strategies to counter polarisation.
Have an excellent week.
General Election 2024
🗳️ KEY ELECTION INFORMATION: The UK general election will occur on 4 July. Voters must register by 18 June and have the option to vote in person with photo ID, by post or by proxy. The Electoral Commission has published tools to help with voter registration and find local constituency information. Source: Electoral Commission.
🏛 ELECTION SENSITIVITY: The House of Commons Library has published guidance for national and local government announcements before the election. The key groups affected are government officials, civil servants and local authorities who must exercise caution when making public announcements to avoid influencing voters. Source: House of Commons.
🗓️ PUBLIC AFFAIRS PREPARATION: Advisors are preparing for a harsh, personal General Election campaign between the Conservatives and Labour. Key focuses will be navigating the first 100 days of a likely new government, assessing policy priorities, and building relationships with many new MPs. Source: PRovoke Media.
🧍 VOTER PROFILES: The BBC's disinformation and social media correspondent Marianna Spring has built a series of profiles of individuals across the main platforms ahead of the election. The experiment aims to understand the content that political parties use to target different voter demographics. Source: Marianna Spring.
⚠️ INTERFERENCE THREAT: UK parliamentarians have warned that hostile states could attempt to interfere in the upcoming election. The government has established a Joint Election Security Preparations Unit and is providing enhanced cybersecurity measures to protect against potential cyber-attacks, disinformation campaigns and deepfake videos. Source: Computer Weekly.
Good and bad PR
🩸REPUTATION MANIPULATION: The Infected Blood Inquiry Report reports that "institutional defensiveness" and reputation management by the government and NHS led to catastrophic communication failures. Like Grenfell Tower, Hillsborough and the Post Office Horizon scandal, it failed to put victims at the heart of the crisis response. Source: Wadds Inc.
🎭 HAY SPONSORSHIP HALTED: Hay Festival suspended sponsorship from Baillie Gifford after protests over the asset manager's alleged ties to Israel and fossil fuels. Speakers and performers boycotted the event, prompting the festival to prioritise its audience and artists by dropping its principal sponsor. Source: Hay Book Festival.
Artificial intelligence
😡 OPENAI LOSES VOICE: Actress Scarlett Johansson says she is "shocked, angered and in disbelief" that OpenAI's new ChatGPT voice assistant sounds uncannily similar to her voice. OpenAI has now pulled the voice, dubbed "Sky," to address questions about how it chose the voices. Source: NPR.
📰 MEDIA HYPE: Research suggests news coverage of AI tends to be industry-led, uncritical and contributes to hype cycles. Studies show AI reporting is often framed positively, relies heavily on industry sources, and takes claims at face value rather than providing nuanced, balanced perspectives. Source: Reuters Institute.
🔢 STATISTICAL ANALYSIS TOOL: Julius AI now writes and executes R code based on natural language prompts. The generative AI tool combines foundational models with R capabilities, allowing statistical analysis and report writing without coding expertise. Source: Julius AI.
Management and risk
😷 PANDEMIC INEVITABLE: Former UK chief scientific adviser Patrick Vallance warns another pandemic is "absolutely inevitable." Speaking at the Hay Festival, he urged the next government to focus on preparing by improving surveillance, coordination, and response measures like rapid tests, vaccines and treatments. Source: The Guardian.
📙 RENEWAL PROJECT: We’ve paused the latest #FuturePRoof while we reflect on options. The original plan was to explore Britain's future through the perspective of corporate communications and public relations practitioners ahead of the election, producing something meaningful before 4 July would be impossible. Source: Wadds Inc.
Media
🚫 INFLUENCER ADS BANNED: The ASA banned six ads created by influencer and brand owner Grace Beverley for not being properly disclosed as advertisements. The ruling sets a precedent that business owners must clearly label social media posts about their brands as ads, even if they own the company. Source: Marketing Week.
📱 ELECTION ALERTS: BBC News app alerts are reaching up to seven million Britons, making them one of the most powerful tools in shaping public opinion during the 2024 general election. Political parties are scrambling to influence the wording and content of these alerts, recognising their immense reach and potential impact on voters. Source: The Guardian.
🏳️ LORD WITHDRAWS LAWSUIT: Sacha Lord has withdrawn his legal threat against The Mill, saying he will cooperate with investigations into his company, Primary Event Solutions. The Mill's reporting, which Lord denies, claims he lied in an application for COVID-19 support. It has led to investigations by the Arts Council and GMCA. Source: The Mill.
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Thank you to all of the members of our community for sharing and debating the stories in the newsletter this week: Rod Cartwright, Julian Christopher, Adam Driver, David Edmundson-Bird, Michael Greer, Rachel Foster, Hayley James, Ben Lowndes, Craig McGill, Alan Morrison, Gemma Moroney, Maja Pawinska Sims, Andrew Bruce Smith, Alex Waddington, and Sarah Waddington CBE.