British Labour Party, Media Strategy (1994-2007)

The undoubted fact of Global Information Age and the "Media Political Age" has profound effects on the development of the political parties and party politics all over the world. Even all political parties in the world try their best to strengthen the party inner contacts and outside communications by means of handling the relationship with the mass media, and consequently for the sake of the voter's support and successful campaign. However, we found that not all the political parties could gain a well-done job with the relationship between the political parties and mass media from a large quantity of political parties'experiences and practices in most western countries.As we all know, the British Labor Party had a good relationship with the mass media after Tony Blair was elected to be the Labor Party leader. Tony Blair took active, perspective and systematic measures of formulating and implementing the media strategy, including attaching a particular emphasis on guidance and control of public opinion and mass media, and trying to show his personal talents and ability on mass media, and setting up professional media organizations and news offices, and also employing some media counselor and public relations experts, as well as attaching equal importance to the usages of traditional media and the emerging media. By doing so, the Labor Party continuously won the United Kingdom General Election in the years of 1997, 2001 and 2005 respectively, as well as Tony Blair being elected to take office of Prime Minster in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007. This paper focuses on the Media Strategy of Labor Party in the period of Tony Blair being the Labor Party Leader from 1994 to 2007 and begins with the influences of mass media on political party and party politics in the western countries, and also summarizes and lists the contents of Media Strategy from five aspects. And then, the paper analyzes the functions and effects of the Media Strategy of Labor Party from perspectives of party inner contacts and outside communications, organizational structure and ideology. Finally, this paper proposes five suggestions to Chinese Communist Party from the enlightenments of the Media Strategy of Labor Party. they are as follows, endeavors should be made to strengthen the Party's news governing capability, improving leader's ability for dealing with the mass media, consolidating the party inner contacts and outside communications by well-done utilizing the mass media, and also guiding public opinion effectively and scientifically by means of taking control of the mass media.This paper is divided into four parts: the first part studies the impacts of mass media on party politics in the western countries from the four perspectives; the second part introduces the formation process and main contents of the media strategy of the labor party from 1994 to 2007; the third part makes analysis of functions and impacts of the media strategy of the labor party; and the final part focuses on the revelations of the Media Strategy of Labor Party and rises five advices for the Chinese Communist Party.