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 shows young people as “out of control”
“young thugs” and “flaming morons”. This has created negativity towards young
people, although it was only a small minority that had taken part. 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 demonization
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'. David’s point is
that a specific stereotype was created of 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?
In
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'. Many stories of teenage boys described
them as 'yobs, thugs, sick, feral, hoodies, louts, heartless, even, frightening
and scum'. This can be seen as 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 society’s limits and boundaries and therefore the situation
was blown up. News industries also contributed to the moral panic as they made
the riots seem worse 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. The media was also blamed for young people's
behaviour.
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 messenger in order to 'co-ordinate their actions'. For instance,
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 suggested in the
media as there was much use of social networking sites. This was taken more
seriously as the police even threatened to 'turn off the internet' at one
point.
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. 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 be able to share that around the
world. Giving everybody small and large organisations a voice.
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 presented 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 suggests that rioters had a reason for what they did.
11)
What are your OWN views on the main causes of the riots?
In
my opinion I believe that there were any factors that had led to riots. I believe
closure of youth clubs, police abusing power, boredom and student fees were all
factors. I also believe that gangs had a lot to play and from a protest it
become a riot.
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 over exaggerate through the media, it
is also fair to say that the media created mass awareness and should be blamed
for encouraging and showing people the riots. However I do feel that stronger sentences
should be put in place in order to prevent things like this in the future.
