Labour and the Press: From New Left to New Labour

Labour sought to develop policies regulating newspaper ownership and the role of journalists. It endeavoured to both correct what it perceived as press bias against the Labour Party and to address the broader issues of political and cultural diversity. Labour’s Relationship with the Press provides a lucid analysis of how Labour’s policies on the press sit within the context of the party’s overall development – from Harold Wilson, through the party’s flirtation with Robert Maxwell, to the robust approach of Tony Blair. It offers a fresh insight into New Labour’s concern with press management and political communications. The author demonstrates how tensions of the past shed new light on Labour Party practices of the present.