Identities and the Media: Reading the riots

Identities and the Media: Reading the riots

1. How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people? 

The language used and pictures made it seem as all young people were to blame for the riots with some papers going as far to call them 'students'. It also shows images of young people with flames behind them-one of the iconic images of the London riots but the media continuously associated young people with destruction.

1. Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?

This is mentioned because the main group participating in the riots were the working class who were already being ridiculed by the media and the riots helped to reinforce many of these stereotypes.

1. What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?

A 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey found that 40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime oranti-social behaviour; and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone. 

1. How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?

This is suggesting that the media help to blow things out of proportion and create 'moral panics'. By claiming there was 'anarchy' on the streets people in the future would start fearing young people, This is similar to the 1973 oil crisis in Germany in which the media claimed there to be a shortage creating a moral panic despite there being no critical decrease in supply.

1. What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?

Some newspapers went as far as to blame rap music and video games for people to go out and start rioting. Also, The Daily Mirror, for example, blamed the pernicious culture of hatred around rap music, which glorifies violence and loathing of authority (especially the police but including parents), exalts trashy materialism and raves about drugs.

1. How was social media blamed for the riots? What was interesting about the discussion of social media when compared to the Arab Spring in 2011?

Social media like facebook, twitter and Blackberry messenger were blamed for allowing rioters to communicate and orchestrate new riots in other places. Much like the Arab spring protests in 2011 social media was used as a platform to gather attention to an issue and rally people together. 

1. The riots generated a huge amount of comment and opinion - both in mainstream and social media. How can the two-step flow theory be linked to the coverage of the riots? 

Whatever the politicians were saying the media, still following their partisan ideologies would reiterate this on their front pages to their audiences. Moreover, the step flow model can be applied to social media in the sense that opinion leaders like celebrities or bloggers would post their opinions to twitter for example and this could reach a very large audience.

1. Alternatively, how might media scholars like Henry Jenkins view the 'tsunami' of blogs, forums and social media comments? Do you agree that this shows the democratisation of the media?

Some media scholars like Henry Jenkins tend to celebrate these kinds of ‘participatory’media, this suggests the media are opening up and allowing the people to form their own opinions. To some extent i do believe that this is part of the democratisation as people are given a say but how much power is given to the people? As the majority of the power still lies with the elites and the opinion leaders.

1. What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

The right wing responses largely blame the young the people and 'students'. Some newspapers describe the young people as 'They are essentially wild beasts,' and 'They respond only to instinctive animal impulses'

1. What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?

The left wing responses were more sympathetic towards the youths as they blamed Government cuts in their communities for them acting out. Moreover, It also blamed the many inequalities in society and how it was unfair that this 'working class' group of people were being blamed for tall of the 'bad' on society.

1. What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?

I believe the protests may have started with a cause in mind -against 'excessive' police violence however, they spread with the message of giving people an excuse to loot and destroy things with the majority of people not caring about the initial cause of the protests in Totenham. 

1. How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?

This can be linked to the Mraxist theory is the sense that the political elite and the media elite immediately blamed the young people for the 'bad' in society and managed to convince the general public of this to. 

1. Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?

In the traditional mass media- no. However, on social media people were free to voice their opinions, although social media is mainly made up of youths and younger people so they werent changing anybody's opinion when explaining themselves on social media. However, some left wing papers did offer some young people to voice their opinions. (below)

1. In the Guardian website's investigation into the causes of the riots, they did interview rioters themselves. Read this Guardian article from their Reading the Riots academic research project - what causes are outlined by those involved in the disturbances?

This article doesnt quote any rioters directly but is instead paraphrased, it outlined the main reason for the riots being anger towards the police. It also blames unemployment and the lack of jobs available for young people which could have fuelled their outrage towards the establishment.

1. What is your own opinion on the riots? Do you have sympathy with those involved or do you believe strong prison sentences are the right approach to prevent such events happening in future?

I believe there needed to be sanctions but some of the prison sentences were over the top for things like petty theft and if things were handled properly in the first place, excessive jail sentences could have been avoided.