Brexit as a Media Crisis
A key theme that I came to realize while studying for the Media and Politics minor is that political expediency often motivates the policy choices of governments, which are then supported and justified by the mainstream media. What I am going to be arguing in this presentation is an idea that is related to this theme. I will argue that the impact of the media on citizens is substantial, complicated, and has a long-term effect on them, especially because of the misperceptions that the media can circulate. The politics surrounding Britain’s exit from the European Union will be used as my case study. The argument will counter the widely held view inside and outside of academia that the media does not change people’s opinions and instead, simply reinforces people’s existing ones and thus, has a relatively inconsequential political impact.
Faculty mentor: Prof. Scott Curtis
