Ian Marsh - Lecturer in Liverpool

Published in the Internet Journal of Criminology in 2011 (http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/)

'Moral Panics and the British Media - A Look at Some Contemporary Folk Devils'

http://www.internetjournalofcriminology.com/marsh_melville_moral_panics_and_the_british_media_march_2011.pdf

• In the opening introduction the writers present a definition or explanation of the term 'moral panic';

'The term moral panic has been widely adopted both by the mass media and in
everyday usage to refer to the exaggerated social reaction caused by the activities of
particular groups and/or individuals.'

Can use this for the start of the coursework, and fit how Jeremy Corbyn, and the Labour Party fit into this definition.

• The opening then considers John Young's review of Cohen's work;

'The review concludes that there are 

key elements to moral panics and that these panics are the result of real events and 

actual behaviour and cannot be dismissed as myths.'

• I think this quote is suggesting that even though moral panics are often mediated by media texts (newspapers, films, tv shows etc), the concept of the moral panic isn't pulled from thin air; there's often a key event that the elaboration of the stereotypes or stigma stem from. For example 9/11- people may always have had a subconscious worry towards the Islamic faith and its followers, but after 9/11 because of the horror of the event and conspiracy theories that surround it; thanks to the media which elaborated and changed the worry to a fear.
• The London Bombings, Manchester Attack and London/Westminister bridge terrorists incidents have also helped the Islamic faith to be turned into a fear. The constant use of over exaggeration by right wing/centre right newspapers has led to the belief that Muslims are genuinely bad for the country, and they do not fit into society. Hegemony also has an effect on how this works.
• In the same way, Corbyn has been mediated by media texts, specifically newspapers, as TV news and social media tend to be more balanced. Before the General Election, The Sun ran a front page titled COR-BIN (see below). There are a number of reasons to explain as to how this has been mediated, but the hegemony is important. They only publish one ideology, their own. They make it seem like it is just "common sense" to vote Conservative, giving 10 reasons why you shouldn't vote for Corbyn. It is laughable, as more or less every thing can be debated, and they are all just over exaggerated to create Corbyn to be a fear. If people were to vote for Corbyn, it would be like throwing your vote away into the bin, or that a vote for Corbyn is a vote for destroying Britain. Whatever your political ideologies are, you can surely agree that Labour wuld not do the damage as The Sun say they would.
  

With Jeremy Corbyn, he often gets publicly slated due to his reactions to certain events from real life. With the IRA scandal, Corbyn was pulled into the debate as he was pictured many years ago with someone members of the IRA, such as Gerry Adams. This isn't a myth, however the reasons behind why he was criticised were moral panics. The mass media said that he was a terrorist sympathizer, however Corbyn actually just wanted to negotiate peace with them. Margaret Thatcher did the same, however this has not been brought up by the mass media, as it wouldn't suit their agenda, and the last thing they want to do is to claim one of the best Prime Ministers the country has ever had to be a terrorist sympathizer. 

Corbyn's actual behaviour has often been controversial, and these generally create a moral panic, so you cant say that Corbyn helps himself. Not singing the National Anthem was bizarre, and in all fairness, this deserved to be criticised by the mass media, however not bowing to the Queen was slated in The Express, however Corbyn was simply following protocol, as leaders of the Party do not bow their heads to the Queen. However, Theresa May did bow, and this was not created into a fear, nor was it even looked upon by the mass media, except for Owen Jones, a columnist from The Guardian. 

*ALWAYS* refer back to the definition. 

"In a media saturated world, moral panics have less impact and nothing shocks us anymore" - 

Stories about Corbyn have become 'The Norm' we expect to see an article about Corbyn every week, or every day in the lead up to a General Election.


"so a moral panic is an exaggerated response to a type of behaviour that is seen as a social problem - the term indicates an over reaction on the part of the media and/or other social institutions"

Spoke about this previously: Corbyn not bowing his head to the Queen was over exaggerated. 

"Societies appear to be subject, every now and then, to periods of moral panic. a condition, episode, person or group of people emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media."


"Sometimes the panic passes over and is forgotten, except in folklore and collective memory. at other times it has more serious and long lasting repercussions and might produce such changes as those in legal and social policy or even in the way society conceives itself"

Many of the Moral Panics that Corbyn faces last a long time, some still face him despite being made 30 years ago!


"The media have long operated as agents of moral indignation in their own right: even if they are not self consciously engaged in crusading or muck-raking, their very reporting of certain 'facts' can be sufficient to generate concern, anxiety, indignation or panic

Perfect for The Sun front page ^^^ The facts that they presented lead to people being worried, or even fearing, what Corbyn would do for the country.


"The public image of these folk devils was invariably tied up to a number of highly visual scenarios associated with their appearance, youths chasing across the beach, brandishing deck chairs above their heads, sleeping on the beaches and so on."

"Moral panics occur when the media turn a reasonably ordinary events and present it as extraordinary"

Couldn't be more correct! Can possibly fit this into the definition/introduction part of the coursework.

"The media, In particular, set in motion a deviance amplification spiral, through which the subjects of the panic are viewed as a source of moral decline and social disintegration"

Sort of, Corbyn can defy what Marsh says, as despite being created into a fear and a moral panic he still is well received socially. With the Grenfell Tower in the news recently, Channel 4 ran a story in which Theresa May was socially declining, as she was being booed and didn't speak to members of the public. Whereas, the moral panic Jeremy Corbyn was being hailed for turning up and speaking to the victims. However, some people on social media (unsure about newspapers) claimed that Corbyn was simply scoring political 'points', which seems unfair, but a real indication of how Corbyn is seen, as despite doing right he still is seen by some to be wrong.

"Moral Panics clarify the moral boundaries of the society in which they occur"

"Moral Panics occur during periods of rapid social change and anxiety"

"Young people are the usual target of moral panics, their behaviour is regarded as a barometer to test the health or sickness of society"