General Election Survey – 14 May to 7 June 2001

A survey based on the comprehensive monitoring and transcribing of more than 250 programme items during the period of the 2001 general election  The analysis is divided into several key areas: first the coverage of Andrew Marr, the most high-profile BBC political editor in the BBC’s history, and Jeremy Paxman, its most important television interviewer, responsible for conducting the biggest encounters with the party leaders. It then moves to an examination of the main two radio programmes, Today and PM, and to a consideration of withdrawal, an issue not on the agenda of the main political parties. Finally, there is a look at the handling of what was said to be the issue of “missing MPs” – those such as the Tory Europhiles who had, according to correspondents, expediently absented themselves from the main campaigning.