A historical exploration of the personalisation of politics in the print media: The British Prime Ministers (1945-1999)

This article examines the historical evolution of the personalisation of politics in the print media. Analysis of The Times from 1945 to 1999 demonstrates, firstly, that there has been a positive trend in leaders' overall mediated visibility and, to a lesser extent, in the salience of Prime Ministers' leadership qualities. However, both variables have shown a fair degree of fluctuation. Secondly, there has been a clear move towards the portrayal of the 'human' side of leaders during the latter 20 years of this period, with a steep increase in the references to their personal lives, especially in the case of Blair.