I have to be honest I don't know a lot about politics, I vote but I probably couldn't outline any of the political parties policies. But I don't think that is rare, the majority of people I know don't know that much on the subject and some of my closest friends aren't even registered to vote. So I was surprised to see that not in 1 but 2 of the girlie magazines I bought this month contained articles on the next election.
Had these articles been in the newspaper, then I have to admit that I probably wouldn't have read them, so why did I when they were appeared in Cosmopolitan? It could be the way it was laid out, or the fact that it was readers that were interviewing the top politicians or perhaps it was just the fact that the aim was to 'find out what they can actually offer a girl like you.'
This article engaged the reader, it probably didn't cover the most important topics on the agenda but questions that a regular 2o something girl would want to know the answer to were put forward. Could having features such as this in magazines be the key to informing a younger audience about politics? Is it enough to get people to vote? To get people to take a bigger interest in the subject? What do you think, would you have read the article or flicked to the next page?
I think I would also be much more inclined to read a political article in a magazine like Cosmo and I would probably remember the information and facts from it much better compared to a newspaper article on the same subject.
ReplyDeleteAs although I try to listen to radio 4 and understand policies and what's going on in parliament etc, I still don't have a clue!
So putting the information in it in a format which appeals and relates to me I think is important. I guess not every one can understand the jargon or know the ins and outs of government! I certainly dont, but I do want to be able to know how my country is run.
I think everyone should have a chance to learn and know about goverment and politics as it effects everyone, even if that means putting articles in 'girly' magazines.