Representations In The Media Flashcards
What is a narrative:
a narrative is where journalists present the news in the firm of a story with villains and heroes. It has a beginning middle and an end to make it more interesting. If an event can be presented in this way it is more likely to be reported
What are examples of narratives
The war in Iraq has been presented as a narrative with a newsworthy villain and the USA and UK as heroes. Yet the truth is much more complex
What is negativity in the media
Bad news is regarded by journalists as more exciting and dramatic than good news and is seen as attracting a bigger audience
What are examples of negativity in the media
Stories about death, tragedy, bankruptcy, violence, damage, natural disasters, political upheaval or extreme weather conditions are always rated above positive stories
What did Fiske refer to
Fisk refers to an American journalist arriving in the Belgian Congo during the war there, running up to a group of white women waiting for a plane to leave and shouting “has anyone here been raped and speaks English”
What is composition in the media
Most news outlets will attempt to balance excessive bad news or foreign news with some items of q more positive or local nature
E.g. after time, coverage of the Syria conflict was relegated below less serious domestic stories
What are representations of childhood in the media
British children are often depicted in the UK media in fairly positive ways. Content analysis of media suggest that certain deadly stereotypes of children are frequently used in the media
What are the four representations of children
- victims if horrendous crimes
- brilliant
- acsessories
- Brave little angels
What does children being viewed as victims of horrendous crimes entail
In the news and also in drama series, children are often victims of crime, including murder and abduction
What does children being viewed as brave little angels entail
Often children are represented in an idealised way, as being innocent and without malice. This is particularly the case in older television series and family fiction
What do children being presented as brilliant entail
Children in the media are often brilliant at something , such as mathematics or a musical instrument. News and magazines programmes often report on such child prodigies and they also make interesting characters in fiction
When children are presented as accessories what does this entail
Celebrity reporting often includes children, not as Interesting individuals in their own right but as accessories or extras alongside their famous parents or guardians
What did Heinz Knowles find
That issues affecting children such as racism, child abuse and domestic violence were rarely discussed within the media. However , in recent years there has been a trend towards showing more realistic drama from a child’s pont of view e.g. channel 4s growing up poor documentary
What is pester power and who talks about it
Bock argues that exposure to media has led to pester power, children want products to increase their status
What are representations of youth like
What are representations of youth like
Youths from around the age of 15 to the early 20s are often portrayed as a problem group in society, and as a major source of anti social behaviour particularly young working class and especially afro Carribbean males. The mass media often generate excitement by creating stereotypes of young people as trouble makers, layabouts and vandals by exaggerating the occasional deviant behaviour of a few young people out of proportion.
