Social Class Representation

Question 1

What do mass media representations of social classes often neglect?

Answer 1

Social tensions or class conflict that underpin society.

Question 2

How does Nairn (1988) describe contemporary media coverage of the monarchy?

Answer 2

Focuses positively on trivial details, turning the Queen and her family into a soap opera with glamour.

Question 3

What role does the media assign to the Queen in terms of national identity?

Answer 3

Portrayed as the ultimate symbol of the nation.

Question 4

How are royal events treated by the media?

Answer 4

As national events.

Question 5

What do Neo-Marxists argue about mass media representations of social class?

Answer 5

They celebrate hierarchy and wealth.

Question 6

How are the upper classes typically portrayed in British mass media?

Answer 6

In a positive light, rarely critically.

Rarely draw attention to the inequalities in wealth and pay

Question 7

What does Newman (2006) argue about media focus on the wealthy?

Answer 7

It is very positive and emphasizes consumer items exclusive to the wealthy.

Enormous amount of print and broadcast media dedicated to daily business news and stock market quotations
- few people in Britain own stocks and shares

Question 8

What are the four broad sociological observations regarding middle class representations?

Answer 8

• 1 - Over represented
• 2 - Newspaper audience
• 3 - Anxious
• 4 - The expert

Question 9

What is meant by ‘over-represented’ as one of the sociological observations?

Answer 9

middle class over represented on TV dramas and situation comedies

Question 10

What is meant by ‘audience’ as one of the sociological observations?

Answer 10

Part of the british newspaper market specifically aimed at the middle classes: their consumption, tastes and interests

Newspapers like The Daily Mail

Question 11

What is meant by ‘anxious’ as one of the sociological observations?

Answer 11

Content of newspapers believe middle classes are generally anxious about decline of moral standards in society
- assume their readership feel threatened by alien influences such as: aslyum seekers and terrorism
- often crusade on behalf of middle classes and initiate moral panics on issues such as: aslyum seekers and paedophilia

Newspapers like The Daily Mail

Question 12

What is meant by ‘the expert’ as one of the sociological observations?

Answer 12

Most creative personnel in media are middle class
- in news and current affairs, middle classes dominate positions of authority
- ‘expert’ is invariably middle class

Question 13

In what way are the middle classes over represented in media?

Answer 13

In TV dramas and situation comedies.

Question 14

What assumption do newspapers like the Daily Mail make about middle class readers?

Answer 14

They are anxious about the decline of moral standards.

Question 15

How do newspapers often portray working class individuals?

Answer 15

According Newman, labelled as a problem

EG: welfare cheats, drug addicts etc

Question 16

How are working class groups represented in the media?

Answer 16

Subject to moral panics

Typically youth subcultures like mods or skinheads

Question 17

How does the media report the causes of social problems?

Answer 17

Suggest that it’s a result of personal inadequacy

Social problems: poverty, unemployment and single parent families

Question 18

What do the GUMG suggest in a study on industrial reporting?

Answer 18

Media portray workers as ‘unreasonable’ making trouble for ‘reasonable’ employers

Question 19

What do newspapers aimed at working class assume?

Answer 19

According to Curran and Seaton, uninterested in serious analysis of either the policial or social organisation of british society

• political debate reduced to conflict between personalities
• assume they want to read about celebrity gossip and lifestyles etc.

Question 20

What is the focus of media coverage when discussing poverty?

Answer 20

According to Newman, Negative or stereotypical portrayals.

Poor represented in statistics rather than human terms in news
EG: focus on numbers unemployed rather than personal indignities of poverty

Question 21

What did McKendrick et al (2008) conclude about media coverage of poverty?

Answer 21

It is marginal and rarely explores causes or consequences.

Dramas like shameless present a sanitised image of poverty
Cohen notes that the media often fail to see the connection between deprivation and wealth

Question 22

What is the portrayal of the underclass in media coverage?

Answer 22

Generally negative and scapegoated for society’s problems.

Coverge tends to focus on the poverty of individuals rather than the structural features of society
- such as government policy which created the underclass

Question 23

What did Baumberg et al find regarding media focus on benefit fraud?

Answer 23

29% of news stories referenced fraud, despite only 0.7% being fraudulent.

Question 24

What is the common language used to describe benefits?

Answer 24

1. Fraud and dishonesty
2. Dependency
3. Non reciprocity/lack of effort
4. Outsider status

Question 25

Fill in the blank: The media often uses terms like ‘lazy’ and ‘scrounger’ to describe those receiving _______.

Answer 25

benefits.

Question 26

What did GUMG research reveal about media portrayals of working class protests?

Answer 26

Protesters were labeled unreasonable while bosses were seen as reasonable and will negotiate

Question 27

What terminology is used in the media to describe working class protestors?

Answer 27

Violent, aggressive, resistant.

Question 28

What did GUMG’s content analysis on the picket line show?

Answer 28

Violent terminology to describe working class protestors began the process of scapegoating and negative representations

Positive terminology used for the bourgeoisie (bosses) like negotiations