Lesson video

Hi, I'm Mrs. Allchin, and I'm going to be taking you through the citizenship lesson today.

I'm going to give you all the information that you need to be able to take part in the lesson, and I'll also pause and tell you when you need to complete an activity or complete a check for understanding.

Hope you enjoy the lesson.

This lesson is called, "Who is more powerful, the media or the government?" And it comes from the unit of lessons, "How powerful is the media?" By the end of this lesson, you'll be able to evaluate the power of the government and the media.

These are our keywords for today's lesson.

We've got power, which is having control or authority over something or someone.

Mandate, which is the authority given to government to make decisions after winning an election.

Parliamentary sovereignty, the principle that Parliament is a supreme legal authority in the UK.

Parliament can create, amend, or end any UK law.

And misinformation, which is false or misleading information that is spread accidentally.

The lesson outlined for today is first, we're going to look at how powerful is the government, and we're then going to look at how powerful is the media.

And we're going to start by looking at how powerful is the government.

So the government is very powerful and it's due to several key areas.

And those areas are their mandate, parliamentary sovereignty, law and policy, and societal influence.

And we're going to explore these over this lesson.

So Sam is asking, "What does mandate mean?" So why don't you pause and have a think to yourself.

Have you heard this term before? Do you know what it might mean? So mandate is linked to authority, and it means you have been given authority to be able to carry out a specific action.

So that's what mandate means, that you've got the authority to carry out a certain action.

And when we're looking at politics, this refers to the government winning a general election through representative democracy.

So they have been voted in by the people and therefore they have the authority to lead the country.

So let's have a look at that in a bit more detail.

So first of all, the government is decided via representative democracy.

So the political party that gain the most seats are asked to form a government.

This win gives the government authority, which is their mandate.

So they have gains that authority because they have won the general election.

The government use mandate to drive laws and policy and implement their manifesto.

So those things that they said that they wanted to do if they were successful, they've now got the mandate to do so.

The government can then utilise its electoral mandate to introduce policies across a range of areas that reflect its priorities, as well as responding to emerging concerns or challenges.

A clear example of this was the conservative government in 2019, when they won the general election with 365 seats.

They campaigned on a message of "Get Brexit Done." So that was a really, really key part of the conservative manifesto in the lead up to the election.

And as a result, when the conservative party ultimately won and were able to form government, the UK formally exited the EU on the 31st of January, 2020.

So this is an example of government using their mandate.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Which defines the government's electoral mandate? Is it A, having authority to lead the country? B, having authority to do anything they want? Or C, having authority to break the law? And it's A, having authority to lead the country.

They definitely are not above the law per se, and they can't just do whatever they want.

There are still checks and balances that happen with the government, but they do have the authority to lead the country.

Sam is asking, "What is parliamentary sovereignty?" Pause while you have a think for yourselves.

It is a principle that Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK.

Meaning, they can create, amend, or remove any UK law.

This makes a government powerful as they can utilise their position in Parliament and use their mandate to make and shape law.

Once legislature has been made, all citizens must follow it or they can be punished by law.

Law and policy made by the government is powerful as it shapes day-to-day life for all citizens at all stages of life.

So this is another reason why government is powerful, because ultimately through mandate, when they make law and policy, that's something that we all need to follow as citizens.

So we even know that law and policy is made by Parliament as a whole, is often really driven by government mandate that we all then need to follow.

So for example, these are just some examples of laws and policies that really have an impact on people's day-to-day lives.

So we've got the National Minimum Wage Act.

We've got the Human Rights Act, Equality Act, Data Protection Act.

We've got lots of laws that try to aim to tackle terrorism, so anti-terrorism laws.

We got Brexit, which was huge when we came out for the European Union.

All of the lockdowns that happened during COVID.

The age in which you can leave school, as well as school curriculum and assessments of actually what you are learning when you are at school and how you are assessed at the end of year 11 and at the end of year six in primary school.

So these are really, really important law and policy that have a massive impact on citizens' day-to-day life.

If we take, for example, the National Minimum Wage Act, that was absolutely huge 'cause it guaranteed that workers would be paid a fair wage for work, whereas before this, workers could be exploited.

So laws and policies made by government affect all people at all stages of their life, therefore making them powerful.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Which has supreme legal authority in the UK? Remember, think carefully about this check for understanding 'cause you could make a slip.

Is it A, government, B, Parliament, or C, the police? And it's B, Parliament, has supreme legal authorities.

Parliament that make laws.

However, government have a really, really heavy voice in influencing that law and policy through their mandate.

The government can use its power to shape public attitudes through policies, funding, and even influencing education.

So actually by what the government do, it can have a real impact on what people think and it can really influence things.

So let's have a look at one example in more detail.

So we're going to look at rights relating to people who are LGBTQ+.

So in 1988, there was something called Section 28, and this was a part of the Local Government Act which was introduced by the conservative government and this banned local authorities from promoting homosexuality in schools.

So it was an actual law and policy that actually prevented teachers or anyone that worked in a school from sort of talking about sexuality, from talking about LGBTQ+ issues and teaching, anything to do with that 'cause it was seen as potentially promoting homosexuality.

Activists including the famous actor, Sir Ian McKellen and a well-known charity, Stonewall UK, led lots of campaigns against Section 28.

And then in 2003, the labour government officially repealed Section 28 in England and Wales.

So they removed that, which meant that schools were then able to talk about different sexualities.

So you can see just with these three points here, how by shaping what was and wasn't allowed to happen in education, that was really impacting conversations and discussions around topics to do with sexuality.

Then in 2004, the Civil Partnership Act gives same-sex couples legal recognition.

So again, the law changed again and actually allowed for a legal union between same-sex couples, which again started to impact discussion and opinions and debate around sexuality.

In 2010, we saw the Equality Act, which further strengthens anti-discrimination law.

It creates nine protective characteristics which included sexual orientation and gender reassignment.

So again, this law actually began to really affect the law in terms of equality by making it illegal to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender reassignment.

And then in 2013, we saw the marriage, Same Sex Couples Act, gaining Royal Assent and becoming law.

So we already had civil partnership, but this actually gained access to marriage, so that equality within marriage for same-sex couples as well.

So again, really changing public discussion and public opinion around sexuality.

So let's have a check for understanding.

True or false? The government have the ability to shape public opinion through policy and laws.

Is that true? Is that false? And can you tell me why? It's true.

So, what are the missing words? Let's have another check for understanding.

The government is very powerful due to several key areas, their something, something sovereignty, law and something, and something influence.

Pause while you have a go at this check for understanding.

So the government is very powerful due to several key areas, their mandate, parliamentary sovereignty, law and policy, and societal influence.

However, there are limits to government power.

The government only have power if they remain popular with the electorate, they can be removed.

So yes, the government are very powerful while they are in that position of government, but that position isn't necessarily permanent.

Anything can change due to their popularity with the public.

So that limits their power somewhat.

The government are still held to account via the opposition, via parliament, wider parliament, the House of Lords and backbenchers, the held to account by the media, and the held to account by us, as citizens.

We are absolutely allowed to and should question them and hold them to account.

And courts can also rule that government actions are unlawful through judicial reviews.

And we saw this with the Supreme Court when they stopped Boris Johnson's attempt to suspend Parliament in 2019.

They haven't got absolute unlimited power.

And also, devolution means that Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have their own governments.

Meaning, national government does not control absolutely everything.

So there are devolved powers in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, which limits national government's power across the whole of the UK.

So let's have a check for understanding.

What are the missing words? The government can also lack power due to, the something not voting for them in the next election, being held to something, judicial something, and something in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

So pause while you have a go at working out what the missing words might be.

So the government can also lack power due to, the electorate not voting for them in the next election, being held to account, judicial reviews, and devolution in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

For task A, I would like you to write an opposing argument to Andeep.

So let's have a look at what he's saying.

He's saying, "I don't think the government are particularly powerful.

They are held to account by many different people and can be voted out during an election." So Andeep saying that he doesn't think the government are particularly powerful.

So in your argument, you really need to state and explain why you think they do have power.

And your answer could refer to government mandate, parliamentary sovereignty, law and policy, and societal influence.

So pause while you have a go at this task.

So your opposing argument to Andeep stating why the government is powerful may have included, "The government is powerful because it has the mandate to make decisions after winning elections.

Meaning, it can introduce laws and policies that affect everyone.

It has authority over Parliament as it generally holds majority of seats which has sovereignty, enabling it to pass or change laws as necessary.

For example, the government has the power to introduce significant changes to policies such as the 1988 introduction of Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which restricted certain types of education in schools.

This law was changed in 2003 by a labour government, showing how the government can change laws that shape public life." You may have gone on to say, "Other examples include legislation like the 2004 Civil Partnership Act and the 2013 Marriage Act, which demonstrate the government's ability to alter the legal recognition of relationships.

This ability to change policy and law shows how the government can shape society and influence what people learn.

The government also decides on policies that affect daily life, proving that it has a huge impact and power on all citizens." So we've considered how powerful the government are, and now we're going to look at how powerful is the media.

So the media is also very powerful because it can reach a large audience, it can shape public opinion, it can hold government to account, and it can also spread misinformation.

The media is diverse and varied and it includes digital media making its potential audiences really, really vast, really big.

Millions of people consume news daily, which can shape their views on politics and society.

News is also available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which further strengthens its power.

So it's really accessible by a huge amount of people.

So Emily is asking, "Are there any examples of the media shaping political views?" So what do you think? Pause and have a think.

Are there any examples of the media shaping political views? So it is difficult to prove whether the media can absolutely shape people's political views, but it has been suggested.

So the Sun has always been a very popular newspaper, very popular, sells lots and lots of newspapers.

In the lead up to the 1992 General Election, the Sun heavily backed the Conservative Party and ran headlines suggesting that a Labour Government would be terrible for the country.

And despite initial opinion polls suggesting a hung parliament, so actually putting Labour and Conservative fairly equal, the Conservatives went on to win the election.

And the Sun ran the now famous headline, 'It's The Sun Wot Won It.

'" So lots of people, including people that worked for the Sun newspaper, thought that actually, it was the Sun newspaper running these headlines in the lead up to the election that actually led the Conservative party to win.

It's difficult to know absolutely if that's true, but it has been suggested due to the initial kind of polls suggesting hung parliament.

And then in 1997, when the Sun actually switched and changed its support to Labour, Labour went on to win the election with a 418 seat majority, which is the largest in its history.

And this does suggest that endorsements from popular media sources can influence electoral outcomes.

So let's have a check for understanding.

Which media asset backed the Labour Party in 1997 prior to their largest election win in history? Was it A, Sky? Was it B, BBC Radio 1? Or was it C, The Sun? And it was C, The Sun.

Traditional media has the power to decide what to publish and broadcast, and what to run as headline news or on the front cover of newspapers.

And this can shape what citizens are exposed to and it can therefore influence public discussions because citizens that are seeing this, they're reading this on front pages and therefore that can prompt discussion.

And as some media organisations have political bias, they can carefully curate the media to encourage citizens to think a certain way.

And digital media such as social media platforms also have the ability to make certain news stories go viral.

For example, by using hashtags on certain terms or certain posts.

Citizens can like, comment on and share information quickly, and at any time of the day ensuring that this information reaches large audiences.

So Andeep is asking, "How does the media hold the government to account?" So this is perhaps touching upon a little bit what we started to look at during the first learning cycle.

So how does the media hold the government to account? So investigative journalism can expose political scandals to the nation.

For example, the MP expenses scandal in 2009 when actually the media realised that some politicians were spending expenses on personal things that they shouldn't been spending expenses on, and they revealed this to us citizens, the electorate, through investigative journalism.

And also, the partygate scandal during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020.

Again, when the media exposed that some politicians were breaking the very lockdown rules and regulations that they themselves had set.

So these are two quite well-known examples of the media holding the government to account.

And live media interviews are also a really fantastic way to challenge the government if they are not actioning their manifesto as promised.

So remember, thinking back to that first learning cycle, the government have a manifesto and then they can start to implement this when they get to power through their mandate.

However, actually, if they said that they were going to do certain things in their manifesto and they're not doing those things, the media can challenge them on this.

And when this is a live interview, that could be particularly challenging and really hold politicians to account.

So, for example, during BBC question time in 2015, the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, was heavily questioned regarding potential cuts to child benefits, which went against what was pledged in the Conservatives manifesto.

So another example of the media holding government to account.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What type of journalism can hold governments to account in relation to their manifesto promises? Is it A, idealistic journalism? Is it B, investigative journalism? Or is it C, industrious journalism? And it's B, investigative journalism.

The media, in particular digital media, also has the power to spread misinformation quickly.

This can be very powerful in influencing people's opinions and potentially misleading the public.

Algorithms on social media platforms also reinforce opinions.

So ultimately, the more times people are reading certain content, algorithms are going to basically give them more of the same, so more of the same content.

And this can create echo chambers where people are only seeing the views that they agree with.

This can be a very powerful method of strengthening viewpoints and limiting that critical thinking.

So limiting being able to see other opinions on the other side of the story.

So let's have a check for understanding.

What can misinformation do to the public? A, monitor them, B, mislead them, C, mends them, or D, master them? And it's B, misinformation can mislead the public.

The use of social media by government agencies to influence opinions is a global method according to a report by the University of Oxford.

They found that in 62 countries, government agencies have used bots and fake accounts on social media platforms to spread misleading information and amplify specific narratives.

And this potentially manipulates public opinion on really large scale.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What are the missing words.

The media is also very powerful because it can, reach a large something, share public something, hold something to account and spread something.

So pause while you have a go at working out what the missing words are.

So the media is also very powerful because it can reach a large audience, shape public opinion, hold governments to accounts, and spread misinformation.

However, just like there are limits to government power, there are also limits to media power.

Traditional media is centrally regulated to ensure it is fair and accurate.

It cannot simply broadcast and publish blatant lies.

People don't always believe the media, especially as trust in news shared on social media has declined, as was found in Ofcom News Consumption in the UK 2024 report.

So people might not always trust the media, which can limit its power.

And although the media has huge audiences and can be very influential, it can only influence, it does not have the power to make laws which government can through their mandate as a part of parliament and parliamentary sovereignty.

So let's have a check for understanding.

State one reason why the media lacks power.

So you might have said that it still has to follow regulation, that public trust in news shared on social media has declined, and the media cannot make laws.

So for task B, I'd like you to write an opposing argument to Sam.

So this is almost the other side of the argument that we did for task A.

So let's have a look at what Sam is saying.

So Sam is saying, "I don't think the media is particularly powerful.

It has to follow regulations, it is not always believed, and it can't make laws." So just like you did for task A, I want you to write the opposing argument.

So your opposing argument is going to really explain why the media is powerful.

And your answer could refer to the media's large audience, its ability to shape public opinion, how it holds governments to account, and its ability to spread misinformation.

So pause while you have a go at this task.

So your opposing argument to Sam stating why the media is powerful may have included, "The media is powerful because it reaches millions of people every day.

Meaning, it can influence public opinion.

It can impact public opinion about politics in the way it reports stories, like during elections, when newspapers often pick sides due to political bias.

The media also holds the government to account, forcing politicians to explain themselves and their parties decisions.

However, it can also spread misinformation, especially online, where fake news spreads quickly and can change what people believe.

And this shows that the media is very powerful." So in summary of the lesson, "Who is more powerful, the media or the government?", the government is powerful because winning elections gives it a mandate to make decisions for everyone.

The government has authority over parliament as it holds the majority.

And through parliamentary sovereignty, it can make or change laws to shape society, for example, by changing policies and laws to restrict certain types of education.

The media is powerful as it reaches millions daily, shaping public opinion.

It can also spread misinformation, especially online, further shaping what people believe.

It also influences elections by affecting support for political parties and holds a government to account by exposing scandals and failure to meet promises.

That brings us to the end of this lesson.

Well done for all your hard work and I hope you come back for more citizenship lessons in the future.