"Excellent but Gullible People": The press and the People's Convention

The convocation of the People's Convention in January 1941 by the Communist Party of Great Britain presented Britain's newspapers with an opportunity to demonstrate their integrity according to liberal ideals. Accurate reporting of the Convention could inform the public sphere about issues of concern during a period of intense hardship, but it risked promoting revolutionary defeatism. The findings of a content analysis of a structured sample of newspapers suggests journalism offered news and comment sufficient to assist the formation of a genuine public opinion. Newspapers demonstrated their freedom from policy censorship. Editors who believed the Convention's programme addressed issues of particular importance to their readers spoke truth to power.