Thread by @PhilippKoeker

Who dominates the debate about #Brexit 🇪🇺 in the #UK 🇬🇧? 📢 In this new article in #PRX (@ecpr's new #OpenAccess journal) @hoennige, @dominic_nyhuis, @PhiMeyer, @SusumuShikano & I analyse visibility bias and mentions of MPs in reporting on #Brexit | doi.org/10.1080/247473… 1/7

Using automated text analysis of 58,247 newspaper articles published July 2017-March 2019, we find
1) #ConservativeParty MPs were strongly overrepresented in ALL (!) newspapers - irrespective of left/right or pro/anti-#Brexit position (71% of all MP mentions vs 48% of seats) 2/7

2) #ConservativeParty backbenchers who were part of pro-#Brexit pressure groups #LeaveMeansLeave or #EuropeanResearchGroup were overrepresented among Con backbenchers, yet the same was not true for backbench members of the anti-Brexit #PeoplesVote campaign 3/7

3) Only a handful of MPs dominated the debate on #Brexit - the top 1% MPs were responsible for 2/5 of all article mentions! #TheresaMay as PM understandably tops the list, yet #JeremyCorbyn is the only #Labour politician in the Top 10 & 6 of the Top 10 hold pro-#Brexit views 4/7

In sum: #Conservative MPs and particularly those with pro-#Brexit views were clearly overrepresented in newspaper reporting on Brexit. We can expect greater focus on the party government and pressure groups, yet results point towards a significant bias in reporting 5/7

Final caveat: We didn't consider tonality of reporting, yet studies on the #EUreferendum show correlation of mentions and tonality. Hence, if #UK media continue to amplify voices in favour of a #HardBrexit, this will definitely have implications for future #UK-#EU relations 6/7

Finally: Many thanks to our research assistants @frozen_jule, Virginia Bergholz, Felix Münchow, Anja Schollmeyer + #PRX editor @SPGuerra!
CC: @ameliahadfield1 @grahambsi @DanBischof @Usherwood @MarkBennister @UKandEU @psa_parl @PostdocLUH @ 7/7