UK newspapers had a “dominant pro-Leave bias” during the EU
referendum campaign — with The Daily Express carrying the most
partisan Brexit coverage — according to a study from the Reuters Institute for the
Study of Journalism (RISJ).
The study analysed 3,403 articles from nine national newspapers
over a four-month period until the June 23 European vote.
RISJ found that 41% of the articles analysed were
pro-Brexit, while only 27% were in favour of remaining in the
European Union.
Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism
The study also provided a breakdown of how each individual
newspaper performed during the EU referendum campaign.
Unsurprisingly, UKIP-supporting newspaper The Daily Express was
most heavily in favour of Brexit, with 76% of its articles
championing this cause.
The Daily Mail, The Sun, and The Daily Telegraph all came out in
favour of Britain leaving the EU, so again, it was no surprise to
see their output dominated by pro-Brexit articles. The Daily
Mirror, The Guardian, and The Financial Times were all on the
opposite side of the debate.
The Times came out in support of Remain, but RISJ found that
it had a “slight preponderance” to pro-Leave articles. These made
up 36% of its coverage, compared to 22% in favour of Remain.
Reuters Institute for the Study of
Journalism
RISJ, which conducted its study in association with PRIME
Research, also uncovered evidence that will play into theories
that the Remain camp deployed “Project Fear” during the
referendum campaign.
It concluded that pro-Remain articles “adopted a generally very
negative tone” and provided “pessimistic forecasts of a
pro-Brexit future.”
By contrast, “pro-Leave articles adopted a more positive
tone, balancing criticism of the status quo with hopeful messages
for a pro-Brexit future.”
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