Media sentiment was mixed over teacher strikes

Last month’s teacher strikes may have been difficult for parents, but media coverage was surprisingly balanced according to latest research commissioned by PRmoment.

Teacher Strikes Daily Mentions

Research supplied by Echo Sonar

Coverage of the strikes peaked on the actual day (30 June). The media quickly lost interest in the story in the days that followed, with just a few comments on the aftermath. Specific unions were mentioned only briefly, if at all.

Teacher Strikes Tonality

Research supplied by Echo Sonar

In terms of the media taking sides, opinion on the strikes was fairly divided. Various sources took a stance for or against it, but it was difficult to identify which side gained the most dominance, as shown in the almost identical sentiment analysis.  An example of an article that condemned the strike appeared at dailymail.co.uk on 27 June. In a piece headlined: “Teachers have a duty of care to their pupils and that is why they should never go on strike”. Melanie Phillips scathingly wrote: “Sometimes, going on strike is the last refuge of the useless.”

Not surprisingly, at guardian.co.uk, there was more sympathetic editorial. For example, on the day of the strike Helienne Lindvall wrote: “Union leaders said early indications were that the 24-hour walkout by the National Union of Teachers (NUT), Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), University and College Union and the PCS, which between them cover 750,000 public sector workers, was being strongly supported.”

Looking at coverage before the strikes took place, a large part of the build-up was devoted to schools. This centred on the inconvenience it would cause for parents who work full-time due to school closures (one of the main sources of negative tonality), and also debates on the effectiveness of the idea of parents substituting for teachers.
 
Methodology
 
PRmoment asked Echo Sonar to analyse UK media coverage of the four main associations involved in the public sector strikes in July 2011. The research period was from 22 June to 6 July.  Metrics included daily trend and sentiment analysis.