Essay Question

Explain the role played by the media in the construction of collective identity (50)

Future References

In this video, Plan B uses this as an record selling rapper artist in order to show the shocking view of how youths are presented. Through his lyrics he shows some key ideas that he has about youths and when discussing his reasons during the interview talks about why the riots may have occurred, once being a youth himself who understands their point of view. He admits that showing the graphic and shocking footage of the video is done to show a fine representation of the way in which youths in a lower class live to those who may not understand. His satirical and judgemental lyrics  such as 'CHAV' standing for 'Council housed and violent'  this is against the government and people of a higher class are used to "try and get under the skin of government and youths" and change the way in which youths are perceived. This video is for youths to have a voice he is a youngster himself and was brought up in that sort of area but doesn't appear to be one this is a positive voice for youths as they are judged on there dress. This video also shows them in a negative light as they are shown in gangs, violence and the chorus lyrics also 'Oiiii, i said oiii, what are you looking at you little rich boy', this is the perception of youths people are given and is used as a statement against the mistreating of youths but can be taken in a negative way.

Social Media Responce

How far were the responses of the rioters themselves given space in the media?

• Not much really, the response of the news team on the rioters were jam packed but actually giving the rioters themselves any justice and having a say probably one or two stories. Using the research i have done there is probably next to none on the newspaper front but on YouTube there is one youth talking to Boris Johnson about why this all happened and how it can stop the protest. this young man has giving the rioters a voice to the man in charge of the city overrun, this is then therefore giving only a little space in the media for the rioters still so all in all there inst much on giving them a voice or a fair response in or to the media. This News broadcast on Sky news is live and on the youths at night in London. The news presenter portrays the two boys as thugs even though they have just been on a day out in Blackpool and trying to get home but cant due to the police also thinking they are thugs, this is another negative point against youths they really don't have a say or a fair voice in the media today shown in this news broadcast as a whole.

Given the general framing  of young people as the key participants in the events, how much space was given to young peoples voices and what sorts of young people were given space to respond in the media debates ?

• Some voices were shown through news broadcasts such as the live Sky News broadcast above which are shown on youtube but only why they are bad and not giving them a fair voice really, those two boys aren't even involved in the riots and enjoyed a day out in Blackpool but because they have hoodies they are portrayed as thugs. But on a whole not many voices where given to the youth population to actually say what was really happening in there point of view instead of them getting shown negatively instead of just them saying its a stand against government. This Video below is on the Young voters and is telling the public why the youths are standing up against the government and kind of giving them a voice through Adam Deacon he is telling the viewers that youths can get away with anything now and the world is going in the different direction of what its supposed to be going.

To what extent did social media challenge or confirm  representations of youth identity in the mass media during the time of the London riots?

• Discuss the positive and negative
• Use examples and theory to illustrate your argument.

London Riots - Summary Write up

Hardened north London gangster and drug dealer, or loving family man who would never seek confrontation? Two different portraits were painted of Mark Duggan, the 29-year-old Tottenham man whose death sparked the weekend's London riots. The riots were just a simple protest outside a police station in North London about the sudden death, but escalated into a full scale outbreak across many parts of London. The youths that escalated the riots weren't given a fair voice as the moral panic and the press stereotyping ruined any chance of remorse towards them, no forgiveness or excuse. David Gauntlet's theory of 'identities are not given but are constructed and negotiated' apply's to the rioting in London effectively as the press and media have constructed this panic and fear into the nation that all youths are responsible for this and not taking there side into account.

Using the youtube videos and the newspaper headlines i have gathered on a whole its against the youths and showing them in a negative light. The headlines such as The Daily Telegraph's "Rule of the mob"  The Independent's "Mob rule" and The Times's "Mobs rule as police surrender the streets' , all of these are using the word mob to there advantage and stereotyping youths as the creator. So all in all the families are unaware of the good side of this social deviance and moral panic as the youths are just trying to get a voice as they don't have one through the media, even though it a democracy shaped country. Even the youtube videos are using the negativity as an advantage and not on the positive side actually given youths a fair voice through the rioting, only one positive image was from the young boy arguing against the press to Boris Johnson the London mayor, giving the youths a fair voice through him.

Fresh video of London riots: Crowd street rampage

This is a video showing the violence and rioting within London. This is a strong symbolization of the negative press against youths as it shows smashing shops to bits, theft of TV's and laptops; and generally causing mischief; also police using every resource to them to stop human civilization from crumbling and going on its last legs. This video is only focused on the negative aspects of the rioters and creating a moral panic, showing youths as all criminals but also not showing why they are doing this such as fee's being raised and the UK's economy being destroyed by politicians.

London Riots Newspaper headlines

Today's national newspaper front pages have found a variety of ways to headline the riots across London. Without exception, all feature images of burning buildings.

• The Daily Telegraph's "Rule of the mob" was echoed by The Independent's "Mob rule" and The Times's "Mobs rule as police surrender the streets."
• The Sun went for a single word "Anarchy" while the Daily Mail preferred "The anarchy spreads" and Metro was rather similar with "Riots: the madness spreads." The Daily Mirror chose "Yob rule."
• All were bettered by the Daily Star's excellent "Anarchy in the UK". That deserved a headline-of-the-day award.
• The Daily Express went for a more personalised line: "Flaming morons". And The Guardian was altogether more pedestrian, but less slanted than its rivals, with "The battle for London".
• Elsewhere, the Belfast Telegraph - a paper that has covered many a riot down the years - ran a page one with the headline "London blitzed."
• The Yorkshire Post devoted most of its front page to the riots, "PM flies home to 'war zone'", while The Scotsman - which was probably preparing to carry a picture of the current Edinburgh festival - published a full-page image of a riot scene with the headline "London under siege as mobs roam streets."

LONDON RIOTS: Young man speaks up to London Mayor Boris Johnson

This is a interview with a young man which speaks his mind to London's mayor Boris Johnson, he is giving youths a fair voice, he is showing what the economy is doing to the youths of the UK and why they are looting shops out as a statement for it to stop. This footage is representation of why the riots are going on not just the death of Mark Duggen but also tuition fees and connections being shut down this is all adding to the effect of the riots to show what the politicians are doing wrong. This young man is a good representation of what many youths are like and not how they are portrayed in the media and press, so using his own initiative ans talking to the London mayor he has put the youths at bay nut also in a good light for there own benefit.

North London Riots - BBC Live coverage Tottenham

The reporters of the BBC are showing coverage of live footage within Tottenham in the early hours of the morning with the rioting taking place. This BBC live broadcast is showing rioters mainly youths vandalizing a parked police car that was there just to stop traffic with bricks and traffic cones smashing its windows and denting it to bits maybe stating that they are in charge and this time the police has took it to far by killing Mark Duggen. Andy Moore's live coverage isn't biased as he is only a spectator and not stating them as youths or race; he is just saying rioters and staying in the same position as all day to show the development in the rioters. But maybe the youths in this video which is stopping the footage and attacking the camera and camera men is showing them in a negative light such as scandal's and thugs as the media and press portray them as.

Key Newspaper Articles

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10788980
 Sexual abuse, gangs, drugs and alcohol marked the upbringing of a Turangi teenager yesterday jailed for raping a 5-year-old tourist girl - a crime that shocked the country. Raurangi Mark Marino's past was revealed as the 16-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in prison after attacking the tourist girl as she slept inside her campervan shortly before Christmas.

http://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/teen-gangs-reign-of-fear-1.1244498

GANGS of pupils carrying pangas and knives are sowing terror in Khayelitsha, carrying out deadly attacks on innocent pupils and residents. Police say a 16-year-old boy was killed recently, while others have escaped with stab wounds. The situation is so bad that some parents are keeping their children at home or walking them to school and back every day. Residents said boys as young as 13 from Kuyasa and Makhaya have been attacking one other with pangas for the past three weeks.

  
200 attended party where teen was slain, witnesses say 

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/feb/29/200-attended-party-where-teen-was-slain-say/  At least 200 people attended a party at a farmhouse near Santa Paula where a teenage boy was shot to death in 2003, two witnesses testified Wednesday.