The 1999 European Parliamentary Election Survey
A detailed survey of more than 600 hours of television and radio coverage, examining how the 1999 European Parliamentary elections were reported and which political perspectives reached the audience.
Document type
Monitoring Survey
June 1999
42 pages · PDF
Minotaur Media Tracking
This survey examined how the 1999 European Parliamentary elections were reported by the principal terrestrial television services and BBC Radio 4. Monitoring covered the five weeks from 9 May to 13 June 1999, including more than 600 hours of output across 610 individual news programmes. Relevant items were transcribed and assessed both individually and as part of the coverage offered by each broadcaster.
The research found that the elections received limited and often poorly structured attention. Only 2 per cent of television news and 6 per cent of radio news output was devoted to the campaign. Several services gave little systematic coverage to its principal issues, while reports frequently concentrated on voter apathy rather than explaining the political choices before the electorate.
The survey also identified significant disparities in the treatment of political perspectives. UKIP received little attention despite securing 7.7 per cent of the vote, while the Pro-Euro Conservative Party, which received 1.2 per cent, was treated as a significant participant. Labour figures opposed to the euro were almost entirely absent. The findings established concerns about omission, prominence and the range of viewpoints that would recur throughout News-watch’s later longitudinal research.
Key findings
1. The elections received very limited coverage
Across more than 600 hours and 610 monitored programmes, only 2 per cent of television news output and 6 per cent of radio news output was devoted to the European Parliamentary elections. Some services carried much of their coverage outside peak viewing periods, while Channel 5 and GMTV gave the campaign almost no attention.
2. Coverage often failed to explain the political choices
Several broadcasters provided no systematic coverage of the principal issues in the campaign. Reports frequently concentrated on voter apathy instead of helping audiences understand the competing policies and arguments. Newsnight and Channel 4 News carried only ten main election items between them across 25 days of transmission.
3. Prominence did not reflect electoral support
UKIP was largely overlooked despite receiving 7.7 per cent of the vote. By contrast, the Pro-Euro Conservative Party, which received 1.2 per cent, was treated as a significant participant. The survey found that editorial prominence was not consistently related to the parties’ eventual electoral support.
4. Eurosceptic Labour voices were almost absent
The coverage gave little indication that opposition to the euro extended beyond the political right. Prominent Labour figures who opposed membership of the single currency, including Frank Field and Austin Mitchell, did not appear in the monitored television coverage and received scarcely any mention on radio.
5. Imbalance emerged across the coverage as a whole
The survey did not assess impartiality solely through individual statements or isolated broadcasts. It examined the cumulative selection of subjects, contributors and viewpoints across five weeks. This revealed recurring patterns of omission and unequal prominence that would not necessarily have been apparent from any single programme.