Representation of Events Case Study: London 2012 Olympics

Just as the same Issue can be represented by the media in many different way, an Event can be shown from a multitude of different perspectives.

Using the London 2012 as a case study the posts below are just seven different ways that the Olympics have been mediated.

Watch, read and analyse!

• Decide on how you feel the text has represented the Olympics - whilst we can often describe representations as either Positive or Negative they can be much more complex than that.

• Look at how they have Mediated the event through Focussing on a specific issue involved with the Olympics.

• Think about whether any recognisable stereotypes have been used that are easily recognised and act as a 'Shortcut to Meaning for the audience.

• Consider the overall ideological message of the text - do they reveal their own point of view through their mediation of the event?

Write your own analysis as a comment below the text...

Text 1: BBC advert for forthcoming coverage

This advert burst onto our screens in the months leading up to the games. Winning the rights to broadcasting the actual events, it was no surprise that the BBC were amongst the games' biggest champions...

Text 2: Daily Mail front page

Some texts were fairly explicit with exactly how they felt about the games starting - however we learn a lot about what they think of the Olympics means to the Mail through their choice of images...

Text 3: Adidas Advert - Take the Stage

Even sports companies were advertising this as a huge party! And whilst they are obviously hijacking the games for commercial purposes they did offer a slightly alternative spin on some of the more cliched celebrations of the Olympics...

Text 4: BBC News website article

However it wasn't always represented so positively, before the games there were various criticisms of the games from protestors and the news reported on this…

Warning: analyse the way the event has been represented - not how the people in the text feel about the Olympics.

Text 5: The Guardian front page

And sometimes it was the media attacked the games…

Remember that with any event that's been mediated you should consider the entire text - look at all of the stories on this front page. Not just the headline and the main image.

Text 6: AFP News Agency Report

Some news focussed entirely on the security concerns over the olympics…

Analysing the selection process that's going on here. Think about every single choice the producers and editors of this text made when they assembled this representation of the Olympics.

Mediation & Construction isn't always about what is there - but sometimes about what isn't!

Text 7: BBC SitCom Twenty Twelve

The games also became the focus of many TV shows including  a BBC sitcom which took the form of a mockumentary which starred some of the key players of the games including Sebastian Coe - suggesting that those organising this could laugh at themselves…








Be careful when analysing this text - as a mockumentary, it is quite satirical and it does poke fun (as you would expect), however it is vital that you consider exactly WHO the encoders are before you make a final judgement on what the overall ideologies are relating to the Olympics...