Oakham Politics pupils welcomed Dr Justin Schlosberg who gave a talk about the power of the media over people and government. Teacher of Politics and International Relations, Mr Joseph Sanders tells us more:
“Form 6 Politics students, in the midst of their investigation into voting behaviour in UK General Elections in the classroom, were treated to an interactive and thought-provoking talk from Dr Justin Schlosberg on media bias. He challenged perceptions of what it means to be moderate, hardliner and extreme in the modern British political climate, going beyond the traditional left/right divide. By engaging students in consideration over their ideological views on a range of issues such as the nuclear deterrent, austerity and Brexit, Dr Schlosberg drew the conclusion that defining what it means to be a ‘moderate’ is almost impossible. He did, however, leave the students with two important watchwords. The first is to be careful about the language one uses and observes in the media, in its many guises. The second was to understand the importance of the political ‘centre’, its highly-subjective meaning, and the manner in which politicians and the media fight to occupy it in order to preserve their version of the status quo.”
