Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online

Whilst the media is often blamed for the ills of society, it is also pretty adept at blaming others for the downfall of humanity! The news media can be amongst the most cruel and subtle formats for scapegoating and alienating groups in society. It often carries such authority that people rarely question the validity of what they read or see in the context of the news.

This project offers the opportunity to become an expert in a field which may have affected your own life, and to be very creative in producing your own Moral Panic

 

 

Research Investigation

At the heart of this is obviously Stanley Cohen's seminal 1972 book; Folk Devils and Moral Panics. This will be standard core reading for anyone who wants to take on this project. A deep understanding of his work will be vital for success.

There are other texts and theories which will be needed to get to the really interesting stuff in this essay. Theories surrounding stereotyping and hegemony will not only allow you to be more succinct at analysing the texts you choose but also give you an opportunity to delve into the question of: Why have these Moral Panics been created in the first place?

The big decision is what Moral Panic(s) will you use as case studies? Many groups, places, people, places and even pasttimes have been demonised in the press - so there are plenty to choose from. But before you decide - you must fully comprehend that you are going to be analysing the texts that represent these groups not the groups themselves.

e.g. Writing an essay all about violent video games or asylum seekers is no good - you must write an essay about how they have been represented.

Some ideas for possible Moral Panics of the past 20-30 years:

• Terrorism
• Drugs
• Asylum Seekers
• Violent Video Games
• Hoodies & Asbos
• Single Parent Families
• China as a Global Threat
• CCTV and the 'Nanny State'
• Homosexuality
• Mental Health
• Political Correctness
• The Internet
• Islam

Knowing all kinds of stuff about these subjects is not good enough - you must have the texts that they have been represented in to analyse.

Whenever you post research label it with your name and: Moral Panics

 

Media Product

You must create your own Moral Panic via the production of  newspaper pages and/or an online news website.

Your research and analysis will have shown you exactly how the media encourages the audience how to fear an element of society that is deemed to be on the 'fringes' - something which is outside of the norm. Your deconstruction will have shown how manipulative and persuasive the media can be in trynig to shape the ideologies of an audience in order to be scared of that element.

You will also have investigated why Moral Panics are created and be able to give context to the representations you have seen.

All this analysis and research will probably give you a 'toolkit' of how to create a Moral Panic - sometimes subtle, sometimes explicit, the papers have the power to be master manipulators.

This project has the potential to be a lot of fun, but there are a couple of decisions to make and pit-falls to avoid...

• Are you going to take something that is already on the fringes of society and create a moral panic out of people's ignorance and limited perceptions?
• Are you going to choose something innocuous and unthreatening about society and demonise it?
• Avoid cliched and lazy ideas - somethings are overdone already; asylum seekers, video games and drugs might have already reached saturation point in the real media
• Don't confuse fear of things like natural disasters with Moral Panics
• Make sure that it's actually possible to get the photos you need - don't choose to discuss a terrorist attack unless you can get a photo of one!

Remember that the look and tone of this product should look and feel exactly like a real newspaper or news website. Be very careful with how you write it and the decisions you make in regards to photos.



Click here to return to the nine coursework projects.

Jeremy Corbyn: The one man Moral Panic. An investigation into representation and the use of stereotyping in the print media on the run up to the 2017 General Election.

Title of the Coursework Project:

Jeremy Corbyn: The one man Moral Panic. An investigation into representation and the use of stereotyping in the print media on the run up to the 2017 General Election.

Jeremy Corbyn Scrapbook of Front Pages

Steph Hendry - Media Magazine

https://www.englishandmedia.co.uk/media-magazine/articles/20103

PROPOSAL FORM

Title: Representation of Fear - Moral Panics in the Media - Jeremy Corbyn and the Labour Party.

Aims - Does it have t be strictly in the news? Can moral panics be represented in other ways that do not concern the news?

Research - Steve Baker
Richard Dyer
Stanley Cohen
Kenneth Thompson
Martin Barker + Julian Petley (https://www.slideshare.net/rob_jewitt/media-effects-lecture-rj-rewrite-of-cs-sem1-2006-07-presentation)
David Gauntley also fits into this bracket. *^^^^^^^
Ian Marsh
Steph Hendry - Media Magazine
There will be more theorists that will be added at a later date.

Primary Texts- Primarily (right wing, or centre-right) Newspapers such as:

The Sun
Daily Express

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"

Richard Dyer on Stereotypes

Research

The Daddy of Media and Cultural Studies gives his introduction of representations...

Quote, Explain, Cite!

Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online (5) (6)

Moral panic analysis: Past, present and future
Author: Chas Critcher (Media and communications studies, Swansea University)

Examples used of past moral panics- Pedophilia (Maddie McCan), Gun crime (Ryan 'Reece' Jones), Binge drinking, recreational drug taking, media violence, immigration, dangerous dogs (Dogfight goes wrong, granddaughter is killed)

• "Britain appeared to be experiencing orchestrated moral panic."

Useful when speaking about moral panics.

Identities and the media. How do the contemporary media represent the identities of different groups.

Examples used within this- Feminism- Sexuality, black actors in the UK, Mackelmore 'Same Love' 

• 'Identity isn't fixed, but changes over time and in different situations, and we can have multiple identities. For example: our online identity can be very different from the identity we have at college or at home.'

This is useful when speaking about internet safety or internet user stereotypes.

• "Through the interactivity of digital media, audiences can increasingly select, manipulate or reject media representations, and thus can create their own identities."

This would be used when speaking about  the internet and mediation or when speaking about internet users stereotypes.

• "Online technologies have enabled audiences to participate more actively, to play a bigger role in constructing their identity, exercise more choice in the media they use, and also find new ways to display their public identity."
• "Online technology can also contribute to the construction and display of collective identities."

Research - Moral Panic - Richard Dyer - Sterotypes

Richard Dyer - The Role of Stereotypes


"Stereotypes are a form of 'ordering' the mass of complex and inchoate data that we receive from the world are only a particular form"

"The word stereotype is almost a term of abuse"

"Stereotypes are a very simple, striking, easily grasped form of representation"

"Lippmann refers to stereotypes as a projection of on to the world"

"The stereotype is taken to express a general agreement about a social group, as if that agreement arose before, and independently of, the stereotype"

"Stereotypes form a list of people, therefore people are associated"

"The role of stereotypes is to make visible the invisible"

"The stereotypes are seen as a way of categorising people and belittling them"

"Stereotypes in the media are a way of representing people or certain thing. It helps us understand the meaning of it more if we can associate them with something in our heads"

Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online (4)

Cyberporn and moral panic: an evaluation of press reactions to pornography on the internet
Author: Anne Littlewood

• "The growth of the Internet in the 1990's brought significant and radical change to the availability, volume and delivery of information."

Useful when talking about the internet or later on when talking about moral panics.

• "Internet pornography took the place of Mods and Rockers as the supposed threat to society."

Useful when talking about moral panics.

Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online (3)

The role of stereotypes
Author: Richard Dyer (1999)

Within this essay, Dyer talks about the different ways stereotypes are used to define certain groups within society. Broken down into four sections 'An ordering process', 'Short cut', 'Reference', 'Expression of values'.

Examples used within this: Alcoholics, Dumb blonde, Gay people within film

• "Stereotypes as a form of 'ordering' the mass of complex and inchoate date that we receive from the world are only a particular form- to do with the representation and categorisation of persons"

Useful when talking about stereotyping people online.

• 'The type is any character constructed through the use of a few immediately recognisable and defining traits, which do not change of 'develop' through the course of the narrative.' 

This quote could be used when trying to define some 'Stereotypical online users' eg. Troll, Hacker, Stalker, Bully.

• "Stereotypes proclaim, 'this is what everyone--you, me and us-- thinks members of such and such a social group are like'."

 

Research - Moral Panics - Steve Baker

Steve Bakers - Representations

"Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing the reality, but someones version of it"

We cannot be 100% sure if what we see in the media is true or false
"The result of this process of mediation is that we are given a version of reality which is altered: those are never the real people that we are seeing but representations of them which have somehow been created"

"The media place us at one remove from reality: they take something that is real, a person or an event and they change its form to produce whatever the text we end up with"

Media text only show us what they want us to see, so sometimes we don't see the actually story or thing.

"We categorise people into types (E.G workaholic, feminist etc) to simplify the task of person perception"

Mediation - the three things

1. Selection: "What ever end sup on out screen or in the paper, much more would have been left out - Any news story has been selected from hundreds of others which the producers decided for you were less interesting, any picture has been chosen from an enormous number of alternatives".

2. Organisation: "The various elements will be organised carefully in ways that real life is not: in visual media this involves mise-en-scene and the organisation of narrative".

3.Focusing:"Mediation always ends up with us, the audience being encouraged towards concentrating on one aspect of the text and ignoring others. If you are watching a film the camera will pan towards an important characters, in a tabloid the headlines will scream for your attention".

"Constructionist feel that representation can never just be the truth or the version of the truth that someone wants you to hear since that is ignoring your ability as an individual to make up your own mind and the influences of the society that you live in on the way that you do so".

"Mediation refers to what media do, and to what we do with media"
http://www.newinfluencer.com/mediapedia/mediation/

Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online (2)

Media magazine 34
Author: Priscilla McClay (Dec 2010)
'Have your say: How is Internet Comment(ing) changing the News media?'

What the article is about:
This article is about how online newspaper websites allow the public to share their own views and speaks about how/if certain comments are favoured over others due to them backing up the argument made within the article.

Interesting quotes:

• 'Its a triumph for freedom of speech'

Useful when talking about the internet and how its given people a new way to get their opinions heard. Could also be useful when talking about online stereotypes.

• 'Even with a powerful commitment to free speech, no news website can allow users to comment completely free of restrictions'w

Useful when talking about how a newspaper constructs their articles in order to reinforce their own ideas.

• 'The Sun still had the power to select which comments it used in its news coverage.'

Useful when talking about mediation. Could they favour comments? Is the comment section bias? Do newspapers only show comments that help further their own views? (Speaking of the Baby P case) 

• 'I found that the paper had not  represented a single user who disagreed with their campaign'

Useful when talking about mediation. Continuation of favoured comments (Speaking of the Baby P case)

• 'The opinions quoted are genuine, but the overall impression becomes less about the significance of the Baby P case and more about praising The Sun.'- Advantages for the newspaper?

Useful when trying to see if it really is a moral panic, is it really that big of an issue if people are about to forget about it and the newspaper and their actions are more important than the 'folk devils'.

Representing fear; moral panics in the press and online (1)

Media Magazine 18-Stanley Cohen

Author: Lucy Scott-Galloway

Creating a moral panic
In this article the author looks at how Stanley Cohen created the terms 'Folk devils' and the events that lead up to 'Moral panics' and the role the media takes when this happens.

• 'They are the people who are represented by the media as outsides'- Folk Devils

Useful when introducing the essay and speaking about how the news media creates or reinforces negative representations (stereotyping)

• 'Role of the media when reporting an isolated event or group of similar incidents' &
• 'May pose a threat to law and order or public health'- Moral Panics

Useful when talking about how the media will manipulate stories and negatively represent a group within society. (mediation)

After the moral panic

The author then goes on to speak about how the media will report on the events after the panic has began.

• 'The deviancy amplification spiral refers to the way in which he media report on events' 
• 'Media select and allocate prominence to their stories -generally include continuity: stories that are already in the news' (mediation) (is the issue really a moral panic?)

'Moral Panic-Kenneth Thompson'

'This is the age of the moral panic' 

Shows that moral panics are more prevalent in the media more than they've ever been. 

'In the 1970s it was the image of the young black mugger that became the focus of panic about law and order'

Moral panics evolve over time, however they are primarily based law and order.

'The increasing rapidity of in the succession of moral panics, one barely finishes before another takes its place'

Again showing how prevalent moral panics are.

'They appeal to people who are alarmed by an apparent fragmentation or breakdown of the social order'

Only certain people are effected by moral panics.

'The language of moral panics is not new'

Demonstrates how moral panics have been around for years, but only now are they really being exploited. 

'The mass media are irredeemably part of the entertainment industry' 

Demonstrates that some moral panics could be created in order to entertain the public'

'It seems that politicians on the left as well as the right of the political spectrum have been prepared to play on the fears of the majority' 

Politicians are able to use moral panics in order to gain votes

Research Log 5- Moral Panics

Moral Panics

By Kenneth Thompson

Section 2- Why The Panic?

• 'Increasing rapidity in the succession of moral panics; one barely finishes before another takes its place.'

• 'Britain is not alone in having moral panic, they seem to be increasingly frequent in modern societies as we approach the millennium.' 

• "It is true that the British are alarmed and frightened by social fragmentation and growing violence. It is also true that the moral compasses by which to steer are increasingly uncertain.

           'The real dynamics of social breakdown are left unaddressed."

            (The Observer, 27 October 1996)

• 'They appeal to people who are alarmed by an apparent fragmentation or breakdown of the social order, which leaves them at risk in some way.'

• 'Politicians and some parts of the media are eager to lead the campaign to have action taken that they claim would suppress the threat.'        

• 'The language of moral panic is not new. It is a complaint that has rung down the ages.'

(Quote from Peter Beaumont)

• 'When morality is no longer a question of a few basic rules, authoritatively pronounced on by politicians and church leaders, then society has to argue, debate, negotiate and renegotiate. It is messy, painful, noisy, transparent, often intrusive, but it's far more democratic than the old way.

To Jacques it isn't surprising that the media seemed to present one moral debate after another. (Jacques, in the Guardian, 1996)

• 'Drawing on ideas taken from American sociological theories of deviance and collective behaviour.'

• 'Intensely concerned about a particular issue or perceived threat- which, as measured by concrete indicators, turns out not to be especially damaging' (Goode and Ben Yehuda 1994)

 

https://medium.com/collection-of-essays/stereotypes-a-big-problem-in-our-modern-society-4137a916b2c6


'puts labels about how a person should act or live according to their sex, race, personality, and other facts'

States that stereotypes in society mould how we behave as people.

'positive stereotypes can be harmful in different situations'

Shows that although positive stereotypes exist, they can still be harmful.

'should be one way because society thinks that’s the ideal'

Our personality and the way we behave is down to stereotypes. 

'stereotypes that are deeply rooted in our society'

Displays how much influence society has.

Textual Analysis Practice

 The Daily Express the headline 'Muslims Tell British: Go To Hell!' seems to be representing all Muslims and representing them in a negative way creating and reinforcing the stereotype that all Muslims hate the British. However, if you look closely at the actual copy it reads 'Rant in court as student who tried to kill MP is jailed for life', so as a matter of fact the headline seems to have nothing to do with the actual article. The size of the headline itself is large and in your face in comparison to the small summary copy- this could suggest the idea that it doesn't matter what these people do they'll always be a threat or hold some sort of danger.

Ironically, next to the main story is a humorous image of Anton Du Beke and Ann Widecombe both with happy, smiling faces. This is juxtaposed to the brash statement, possibly implying that besides that issue, besides the problem of these awful people everything in Britain is great- get rid of them and all the problems will disappear.  By putting this pointless story on the front of the paper in comparison to such a negative outlook the media are mediating the audiences outlook on the Islamic faith creating a stigma that they are dangerous, because the typical audience will then focus on the main story.

 

http://www.theeuropean-magazine.com/jesse-van-mouwerik/9272-the-sad-archetype-of-michael-brown 



'all too familiar archetype in American society of the young black male who faces inexcusable police brutality because of the colour of his skin'

This shows that the police are racist, as well as brutal, going against the stereotype of the police. 



'shootings shows that black people are clearly singled out by overwhelmingly white and increasingly militant police forces



Again shows the racism in the police as well stating how they are becoming increasingly 'militant'.





'the larger trend of police officers harassing, incarcerating, and fatally shooting black Americans'



Once again showing the extent to which police are racist.