Media Magazine extended feature on the media coverage of the UK riots (MM38 page 5)
1) How did the language and selection of images in the coverage create a particular representation of young people?
The language and images used in the London Riots coverage presented young people as 'out of control', 'young thugs' and 'flaming morons'. This created negativity towards all young people, even though it was only a small minority as young people's exam results weeks later showed GCSE and A-Level students 'achieved record passes'.
2) Why does David Buckingham mention Owen Jones and his work Chavs: the demonisation of the working class?
David Buckingham mentions Owen Jones recent book, Chavs as it looks at the working class and he argues that it 'has become an object of fear and ridicule'. Buckingham's point is that a certain steroype was created of the rioters, however people such as 'a ballerina, an army recruit, a doctor's daughter and an Oxford graduate' all went to court for being participants too. However, they were not in the headlines, youths were.
3) What is the typical representation of young people – and teenage boys in particular? What did the 2005 IPSOS/MORI survey find?
The 2005 IPOS/MORI survey found that '40% of newspaper articles featuring young people focused on violence, crime or anti-social behaviour and that 71% could be described as having a negative tone'. Moreover, many stories of teenage boys described them as 'yobs, thugs, sick, feral, hoodies, louts, heartless, even, frightening and scum'. This is obviously a very narrow minded representation and only describes a minority of boys, however it has been dictated as different.
4) How can Stanley Cohen’s work on Moral Panic be linked to the coverage of the riots?
Moral panic was created during the London Riots as it bought 'a threat to societal values'. People stepped over societies limits and boundaries and therefore the situation was blown up. News industries also contributed to the moral panic as they made the riots seem more frightening than it actually was.
5) What elements of the media and popular culture were blamed for the riots?
Elements of popular culture such as: 'rap music, violent computer games and reality TV' were blamed for the riots. It was said that apparently, these factors provoked young people to go out and start rioting. Moreover, the media was also blamed for young people's misbehaviour.
6) 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 was blamed for the riots as rioters connected through Twitter, Facebook and Blackberry's in order to 'co-ordinate their actions'. For example, The Sun revealed that 'THUGS used social network Twitter to orchestrate the Tottenham violence and indicate others to join in as they send messages urging: 'Roll up and loot'.
The Arab Spring that took place earlier in 2011 was similarly debated in the media as there was much discussion over social networking sites. This was taken more seriously however as the police even threatened to 'turn off the internet' at one point. at the fist sign of trouble.
7) 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?
Many people generated their opinions and made comments about the riots which then influenced the opinions of others. The opinion leaders who shared their comments are influenced by mass media.
8) 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?
Henry Jenkins celebrated the participatory on blogs, forums and social media sites. I do believe that it contributes to the democratisation of the media as people are able to form their own opinion as well as share it on a mass scale. It is therefore not only large news institutions reporting their views.
9) What were the right-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
The right-wing responses to the riots were quite extreme. An article from The Daily Mail explained young people as 'wild beasts' who 'respond only to indistinctive animal impulses-to eat and drink, have sex, seize or destroy the accessible property of others'.
10) What were the left-wing responses to the causes of the riots?
The left-wing responses was quite the opposite and supported people by stating 'most of the disturbances erupted in areas with high levels of poverty and deprivation'. It almost gives the rioters a reason for what they did.
11) What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?
In my opinion, there will be many contradicting stories on the cause of the riots. However I believe it was several factors that combined together, which at the time made the riots acceptable in some people's eyes. With most of the rioters being youths, unemployment and poverty could have in fact been an encouraging factor to riot. However, gang culture prompted people to get together and cause havoc.
12) How can capitalism be blamed for the riots? What media theory (from our new/digital media unit) can this be linked to?
Capitalism can be blamed for the riots as most people do not have the luxuries and privileges as others. Knowing that the elite for example can have whatever possessions they want can trigger most people and therefore the riots gave people a chance to essentially get what they want without having to pay a price. The fact that society is not and was not equal at the time encouraged people to find a way to get what they want and the riots gave them an opportunity. This can be linked to a Pluralists viewpoint of society and the fact that it is unequal.
Moreover, Peter Osborne stated in The Daily Telegraph that 'it has become acceptable for our politicians to lie and cheat'. He compared the fact that the elite can get away with things, however when society does something bad it is pointed out and gains coverage from every news institution. This also links to the Ian Tomlinson case as the police officer gained no coverage in the news for wrongly killing Ian, however it was only made a big deal when The Guardian revealed the facts from supporting citizen journalism footage.
13) Were people involved in the riots given a voice in the media to explain their participation?
People involved in the riots were not given much of a voice in the media to explain their participation. I believe this was done for a reason because it would show that the stories news institutions make up about the reasons behind the rioters were mostly inaccurate.
The Guardian collected more than 1.3 million words of first person accounts from rioters. This helped gain a first hand understanding of the reasons behind the riots and the thoughts behind the rioters themselves. Some reasons included: unemployment, rise in university tuition fees, opportunity to acquire goods and luxury items, shooting of Mark Duggan and scrapping of the education maintenance allowance.
15) 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?
In my opinion, the London riots of 2011 were made bigger than they actually were by news institutions and gained mass media coverage. Although I do not personally agree that the reasons behind the riots gave rioters an excuse to cause damage to streets, act violent and steal, I can understand why some people felt it was an opportunity to be rebellious. I do thing that the rioters should face strong prison sentences, however I would be worried if a similar occurrence was to happen again and thereafter higher action should be taken.
