The Media Column: Jon Snow and YouTube launch initiative to boost the youth vote

The news anchor fears this election is being dominated by party spokesmen

A Tory election event earlier in April: journalists say party machines are controlling coverage (Reuters)

The Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow has reported elections from emerging democracies and authoritarian regimes. But he cannot recall a British poll in which journalists have been so thoroughly obstructed from doing their jobs.

“This election is the least open to asking questions and getting answers there has yet been,” said Mr Snow, who fears that voters are being turned off by a campaign dominated by monotone party spokesmen trading spurious spending commitments.

The newscaster echoed recent complaints by the National Union of Journalists, which said that local newspaper reporters and BBC journalists were being excluded from stage-managed party events or “blocked from asking the questions they know their readers and viewers want to hear”.

Michelle Stanistreet, NUJ general secretary, said: “We have received reports of the heavy-handed treatment from the spin doctors of the Prime Minister’s entourage on a number of events on the election trail.”

Journalists on The Huddersfield Daily Examiner said they were “treated with disdain” during a visit by David Cameron to their patch. The paper’s local government correspondent said she was not allowed to join the Tory leader’s tour of a factory in the marginal Colne Valley constituency.

The face of Channel 4 News since 1989, Mr Snow called for a return to “the old form of access we had, the rather quaint, English, shambolic daily press conference. You … did actually get to ask questions. Clegg and Miliband have made themselves available, but the Prime Minister has been quite remote.”

Mr Snow, who first joined ITN in 1976, said: “The other issue is the paucity of people the parties put up. It’s a very small gene pool. It’s almost as if the parties can’t be sure who they can trust to speak for them.

“People are finding it difficult to tell one party from another,” he added. “This flashing about of figures is confusing – whether something is or isn’t funded.”

The broadcaster, who will receive the Bafta Fellowship next month in recognition of his distinguished journalistic career, is seeking to break the logjam. At a mere 67, he is to become the face of a YouTube initiative to boost turnout among young voters. He will anchor YouTube’s Spotlight channel, which has 22 million subscribers, and, from today, will offer round-the-clock election news, campaign videos and analysis.

Election videos will be put into “playlists” and Mr Snow, a regular blogger on the Channel 4 News website, will post a daily 8am vlog to help viewers navigate the latest events.

“I’ve moved seamlessly into cyberspace,” he said. “It’s very much aimed at first-time voters, the 18- to 24-year-olds, people who don’t necessarily know a great deal about what’s going on in the campaign and are difficult for terrestrial channels to reach.

“We’ll take one topic every day, like housing or defence, and ITN will make a video, no longer than four minutes long, laying out the issues and what the parties are going to do in as accessible way as possible.”

The style will be “a little jollier and down to earth. I’ll appear on screen, but not for too long. It’s important that the clips aren’t pretentious or patronising to the audience.”

The veteran will also discuss the issues of the day with a panel of YouTube vloggers and hopes to direct viewers from Channel 4 News to live YouTube web debates after the nightly television bulletin ends.

Despite the campaign’s frustrations, Mr Snow believes more young people will vote. “I think there will be a higher turnout. There is excitement about the result but not the campaign. Betting shops will do well on speculation about governing combinations.”

But will he have to junk his colourful silk ties and socks when he becomes YouTube’s face of youth? “It’s a shirtsleeves job but I don’t feel we can dispense with the tie,” he smiled. “It’s enjoyed by a lot of young people I meet. They recognise it for what it is – a rebellion. I don’t think we’ll get a close enough shot to see the socks.”

Are his colleagues jealous that he was given the YouTube brief? “It keeps the rivalry going with Cathy [Newman] and Krishnan [Guru-Murthy]. I can still cut it with the youngsters.”

Labour and Lib Dems look to safeguard media plurality

Legislation to restrict any one organisation dominating the media landscape looks a certainty if Labour and the Liberal Democrats form a governing block. Labour’s manifesto stated: “No one media owner should be able to exert undue influence on public opinion and policymakers.” The document added: “No media company should have so much power that those who run it believe themselves above the rule of law”, an attempt to remind voters of Ed Miliband’s claim to have “stood up” to Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

The Lib Dems state that “protecting the space for democratic debate” will require reform of “the existing arrangements for safeguarding media plurality”.

A cap on market share looks an easy principle for coalition negotiators to agree on 8 May. Labour insiders expect the figure to be no higher than 30 per cent of the UK newspaper market – which could force News UK, with a share of around 34 per cent, to divest or close a title.

With newspapers evolving into multi-media groups, with interests across television and digital in a fast-changing environment, agreeing a metric to assess “market dominance” will be an arduous task.

While the Tories take another track

The Conservatives have no such desire to rip up the media landscape. Unlike their rivals, they will not legislate to implement the Leveson recommendations. They do believe there is mileage in Beeb-bashing, however. They promise to “save you money” by bearing down on the licence fee during negotiations over the BBC’s Charter renewal.

George Osborne has meanwhile suggested that regulation of the BBC could be handed to Ofcom, thereby threatening the corporation’s independence. He has also talked up tax breaks for local newspapers and warned that the BBC must not “suffocate” regional publications.

With a media prospectus like that, it’s little surprise the Tories have staunch backing from a number of newspapers. It’s also clear who the Express titles will endorse after proprietor Richard Desmond’s £1m donation to Ukip.

Twitter: @adamsherwin10