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Press and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago: a Study of Five Electoral Campaigns Over Ten Years, 2000-2010 Bachan-Persad, I

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Press and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago: a Study of Five Electoral Campaigns Over Ten Years, 2000-2010 Bachan-Persad, I Press and politics in Trinidad and Tobago: A study of five electoral campaigns over ten years, 2000-2010 Bachan-Persad, I. Submitted version deposited in CURVE October 2014 Original citation & hyperlink: Bachan-Persad, I. (2012) Press and politics in Trinidad and Tobago: A study of five electoral campaigns over ten years, 2000-2010. Unpublished Thesis. Coventry: Coventry University. Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Some materials have been removed from this thesis due to third party copyright. Pages where material has been removed are clearly marked in the electronic version. The unabridged version of the thesis can be viewed at the Lanchester Library, Coventry University. CURVE is the Institutional Repository for Coventry University http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open Press and politics in Trinidad and Tobago: A study of five electoral campaigns over ten years, 2000- 2010 I. Bachan-Persad Doctor of Philosophy [Media and Politics] 2012 Press and politics in Trinidad and Tobago: A study of five electoral campaigns over ten years, 2000- 2010 By Indrani Bachan-Persad A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy [Media and Politics] at Coventry University, UK August 2012 The work contained within this document has been submitted by the student in partial fulfilment of the requirement of their course and award i ABSTRACT This thesis analyzes the role of the press in five political campaigns in Trinidad and Tobago, over a ten year period, from 2000 to 2010. Using framing theory, it seeks to determine if the level of structural and partisan bias in the three daily newspapers in the country was a major factor in the outcome of general elections. This thesis further examines how press coverage of national elections contributed significantly towards development of a healthy democracy in Trinidad and Tobago and this research on media and politics, especially over a defined period of electoral volatility in the country, is the first of its kind in the Caribbean and will complement existing literature written on this subject worldwide. It is also the only comprehensive study on media bias in electoral coverage of political campaigns in Trinidad and Tobago in a context in which there have been public allegations of media bias by political leaders in the country. The two - pronged methodological approach of content analysis, and interviews with media practitioners allow for both qualitative and quantitative analysis of case studies of electoral campaigns using innovative research tools such as a bias scale and coding template, to minimize the margin of error in the analysis. In this thesis the issue of whether the press did have an influential effect on election outcome is also explored. Based on analysis and findings, this thesis proposes a new model of media and politics for countries like Trinidad and Tobago transitioning from a system of authoritarianism to liberalism called an “emerging liberal democratic model”. The evolution of this model is a work in progress which may have implications for other similar societies. ii ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the unstinting support of both my Director of Studies at Coventry University, Dr Fred Okoth Mudhai and my Supervisor from the University of the West Indies, Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie, both of whom provided me with consistent supervision, advice and expert knowledge in the field of media and politics, holding me up to high standards and making sure that I always put my best foot forward, at all times. I also acknowledge the support of the PVC Planning and Development Dr. Bhoendradatt Tewarie at the University Office of Planning and Development for making it possible for me to pursue this PhD as a split-site student while working full time at the university. I also thank the UWI’s Vice Chancellery for allowing me a year off from my duties to complete my thesis. Special thanks to my sponsors including Global Santafe, CL Financial and the Institute of Critical Thinking for partial funding of this study. I wish to acknowledge the kindness of the staff of Coventry’s International Office especially Andy Mc Nicol and Sarah Spiers who ensured that I was well accommodated as well as the School of Art and Design for making sure that I had a well-equipped office during residency periods at Coventry University. Special thanks to the staff at the Pillar Box who made me feel comfortable and at home during my short periods there. The author gratefully acknowledges the use of official documents from the Library of the Ministry of Planning and Economy as well as the assistance of two research students Jehana Copilah and Giselle Garcia from UWI, St. Augustine Campus who helped in the coding of newspaper clippings for two of the five elections. I am also grateful for the assistance of two of my colleagues, from the University Office of Planning and Development, Ms Gillian Siu and Mrs Crispin Gomez who assisted with the design of the template for the coding sheets and for typing up the extensive number of appendices attached to the thesis. iii I want to thank my entire family, especially my husband Kassinath Persad, my daughter Chelsea and my mom Poptee Bachan for their unwavering support, love and understanding, during the four years of study, some of which took me away from my home, to the UK for short periods of time. To all my dear friends and loved ones who believed in me and encouraged me throughout the four years it took to complete this PhD, I thank you. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLDEGEMENTS ..................................................................................................................... III LIST OF TABLES .................................................................................................................................. IX BACKGROUND ..................................................................................................................................... XI RESEARCH OBJECTIVES ....................................................................................................................... XI SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PERIOD UNDER STUDY (2000-2010) ............................................................... XII CHAPTER 1 THEORIES OF MEDIA AND POLITICS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR THE CARIBBEAN ...... 1 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 A THEORETICAL UNDERSTANDING OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS .................................................................... 4 1.1.1 Media effects ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.1.2 Agenda setting .................................................................................................................. 6 1.1.3 Post colonialism and democratic theories ......................................................................... 7 1.2. FRAMING AS A DOMINANT THEORY IN POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS ..................................................................... 7 1.2.1 Identifying frames ............................................................................................................. 9 1.3 MEDIA BIAS IN COVERAGE OF POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS ........................................................................... 11 1.4 MODELS OF MEDIA AND POLITICS ..................................................................................................... 18 1.5 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................ 24 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH PROJECT DESIGN .......................................................................................... 26 2.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 26 2.1 OVERVIEW OF 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007 AND 2010 ELECTIONS .......................................................... 29 2.2 RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PRESS AND POLITICIANS................................................................................ 33 2.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................................................... 35 2.3.1 Research Objectives......................................................................................................... 35 2.4 RESEARCH STRATEGY: MIXED METHODOLOGY .................................................................................... 38 2.4.1 Content Analysis of Newspapers ..................................................................................... 39 2.4.2 Period of study................................................................................................................. 41 2.4.3 Units of Analysis .............................................................................................................. 43 2.4.4 Frames ............................................................................................................................. 43 2.4.5 Bias
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