Cardiff University research suggests UK broadcasters’ impartiality rules restricted in-depth scrutiny of political parties during the 2026 elections
A one-minute read, every weekday. Unsubscribe anytime.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
A new Cardiff University analysis of media coverage during the 2026 elections has found that news broadcasters struggled to robustly challenge political claims due to their own impartiality rules. Researchers from the School of Journalism, Media and Culture examined ten weeks of TV news coverage leading up to the Welsh, Scottish, and English elections.
Focusing on the Senedd election, the study revealed that over 70 per cent of politicians’ claims on TV news received little or no scrutiny. Coverage that tried to balance all six major parties tended to dilute in-depth questioning, while one-on-one interviews or single-party reports allowed for more substantial analysis.
The report highlights that the expansion of the Senedd and the introduction of a new voting system added complexity for broadcasters, who also had to compete for attention with simultaneous elections in Scotland and England. Many Welsh voters still rely on UK-wide media for political information, making the challenge even greater.
The authors argue that while impartiality remains essential, current rules may need updating to allow broadcasters to better scrutinise political promises and challenge misleading claims in a multi-party landscape.
Read the full report, Reporting the 2026 UK Elections, with Wales in Focus: TV, Online and Social Media Coverage of the Senedd.
This article was drafted by an AI assistant before it was edited by a human.