|
|
|
|
|
Selected Research about Young People
Young People in the Media
Research by Mori in 2004 suggests that tabloid, broadsheets and local papers are too focused on negative stories of young people. They studied 17 tabloid, broadsheet and local papers which ran a total of 603 "youth" related articles on one week in August 2004.
The tabloids - the Sun, the Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Express and the Star - carried the most youth-related stories and their tone was far more negative. But because tabloid stories reach a larger number of people, these stories may have a greater impact on public opinion. The broadsheet stories were more focused on parenting and education, but these also contained stereotypes and bias.
The majority of articles offer a negative perspective on young people and their activities. Three in four articles (71%) concerning young people have a negative tone, while 14% are positive and 15% neutral. By far the most popular topic for the papers was violence, crime or anti-social behaviour, A third of articles discuss young people in this context with the tabloids carrying 35 stories, the broadsheets 26 and local papers 33. tories about achievements by young people ranked the lowest, with a total of 23 stories across the 17 papers.
Young people are also noticeable by their absence in stories about them. Only eight per cent of articles included any direct comment or quote from young people.
The general picture being painted in the press is one of violent young men, with nearly 70% of stories involving boys and violence describe them as the perpetrator, while girls are described as the victim in 90% of cases.
Comparing this with the reality, MORI research for the Youth Justice Board carried out in 2003 reveals that only seven per cent of young people in mainstream schools have been in trouble with the police in the past year, and of the offences carried out the vast majority are not violent crimes.
Similarly, according to the British Crime Survey, which surveys 40,000 people aged 16+ each year on their experience of crime over the past 12 months, boys (15% of 16-24 year olds) are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime than girls (7% of 16-24 year olds), challenging their portrayal in the media. This is in line with research into which MORI carried out in 2003 for the Nestle Family Monitor. Two-thirds (64%) of the 914 11-18 year olds surveyed then, said they would not trust a journalist to tell them the truth.
Young People and the Media: The Facts
One in three articles about young people are about crime.
(Young People and the Media, Mori)
26 per cent of young people in school admit to committing a crime but only seven per cent of that group have committed crimes leading to police involvement.
(Mori/ YJB)
Two-thirds of 11-18 year olds would not trust a journalist to tell them the truth.
(Mori/ Nestle Family Monitor 2003)
Young people see the press as finger-wagging and authoritarian, telling them what they 'should and shouldn't be doing'. They also see journalists as prone to exaggeration. 'They'll get anything to put in there if they're short of something to write. They don't care if it hurts someone's reputation.' said one young person.
90 per cent of youth workers believe that tabloid newspapers give a negative impression or very negative impression of young people. 69.2 per cent believe local papers are negative or very negative, and 61.5 per cent think broadsheets are negative or very negative.
(Young People Now reader survey 2004)
93 per cent of youth workers believe that youth groups should be more proactive in promoting positive stories about young people, while 41 per cent say that young people should be taught media literacy and campaigning.
(Young People Now reader survey 2004)
Young people were referred to as thugs 26 times and yobs 21 times in a survey of 74 tabloid and broadsheet articles about young people and crime. Other descriptors included evil, lout, monsters, brutes, scum, menace, heartless, sick, menacing and inhuman.
(Shape the Debate campaign, 2002 - 2003)
Young People in the Media
Research by Mori in 2004 suggests that tabloid, broadsheets and local papers are too focused on negative stories of young people. They studied 17 tabloid, broadsheet and local papers which ran a total of 603 "youth" related articles on one week in August 2004.
The tabloids - the Sun, the Mirror, the Daily Mail, the Express and the Star - carried the most youth-related stories and their tone was far more negative. But because tabloid stories reach a larger number of people, these stories may have a greater impact on public opinion. The broadsheet stories were more focused on parenting and education, but these also contained stereotypes and bias.
The majority of articles offer a negative perspective on young people and their activities. Three in four articles (71%) concerning young people have a negative tone, while 14% are positive and 15% neutral. By far the most popular topic for the papers was violence, crime or anti-social behaviour, A third of articles discuss young people in this context with the tabloids carrying 35 stories, the broadsheets 26 and local papers 33. tories about achievements by young people ranked the lowest, with a total of 23 stories across the 17 papers.
Young people are also noticeable by their absence in stories about them. Only eight per cent of articles included any direct comment or quote from young people.
The general picture being painted in the press is one of violent young men, with nearly 70% of stories involving boys and violence describe them as the perpetrator, while girls are described as the victim in 90% of cases.
Comparing this with the reality, MORI research for the Youth Justice Board carried out in 2003 reveals that only seven per cent of young people in mainstream schools have been in trouble with the police in the past year, and of the offences carried out the vast majority are not violent crimes.
Similarly, according to the British Crime Survey, which surveys 40,000 people aged 16+ each year on their experience of crime over the past 12 months, boys (15% of 16-24 year olds) are twice as likely to be victims of violent crime than girls (7% of 16-24 year olds), challenging their portrayal in the media. This is in line with research into which MORI carried out in 2003 for the Nestle Family Monitor. Two-thirds (64%) of the 914 11-18 year olds surveyed then, said they would not trust a journalist to tell them the truth.
Young People and the Media: The Facts
One in three articles about young people are about crime.
(Young People and the Media, Mori)
26 per cent of young people in school admit to committing a crime but only seven per cent of that group have committed crimes leading to police involvement.
(Mori/ YJB)
Two-thirds of 11-18 year olds would not trust a journalist to tell them the truth.
(Mori/ Nestle Family Monitor 2003)
Young people see the press as finger-wagging and authoritarian, telling them what they 'should and shouldn't be doing'. They also see journalists as prone to exaggeration. 'They'll get anything to put in there if they're short of something to write. They don't care if it hurts someone's reputation.' said one young person.
90 per cent of youth workers believe that tabloid newspapers give a negative impression or very negative impression of young people. 69.2 per cent believe local papers are negative or very negative, and 61.5 per cent think broadsheets are negative or very negative.
(Young People Now reader survey 2004)
93 per cent of youth workers believe that youth groups should be more proactive in promoting positive stories about young people, while 41 per cent say that young people should be taught media literacy and campaigning.
(Young People Now reader survey 2004)
Young people were referred to as thugs 26 times and yobs 21 times in a survey of 74 tabloid and broadsheet articles about young people and crime. Other descriptors included evil, lout, monsters, brutes, scum, menace, heartless, sick, menacing and inhuman.
(Shape the Debate campaign, 2002 - 2003)
