media

• Stan Cohen – Moral Panics & Folk Devils (1972)

  📺 What is a Moral Panic?

  • A moral panic is when the media exaggerates a social problem.
  • The issue is portrayed as a threat to society’s values and creates public fear or outrage.
• 👹 What is a Folk Devil?

  • A folk devil is a group or individual blamed for causing the problem.
  • They are shown in a negative, stereotypical way.
  • Example: ‘Hoodies’, or youth gangs being seen as a threat to social order.
• 🛵 Mods and Rockers Case Study (1960s):

  • Young people at a seaside resort had minor fights and disturbances.
  • The media exaggerated the scale, violence, and damage:
  • Claimed large numbers were involved
  • Overstated the level of violence
  • Created sensational headlines
  • Result: Mods and Rockers were cast as folk devils.
• 🔊 Deviancy Amplification (Cohen’s Key Idea):

  • Media coverage exaggerates the deviance.
  • This can actually increase deviant behaviour:
  • More young people copy the behaviour.
  • Police crack down harder, causing more tension and arrests.
  • The cycle continues, causing a moral panic to grow.

  🔁 Cycle:

  1. Minor deviance happens
  2. Media exaggerates → moral panic
  3. Young people copy behaviour → more deviance
  4. Police respond harshly → public fear increases
  5. Group is stigmatised as folk devils

  🆕 Modern Examples of Moral Panics:

  • Benefit cheats
  • Single mothers
  • Refugees and asylum seekers
• Media Coverage of Crime

  • The media reflect public concern but also fuel it by focusing on certain crimes.
  • The media plays a role in agenda setting:
  • They decide what to report and what to ignore.
  • This shapes public opinion about what is a serious problem.

  🔑 News Values:

  • Media focuses on what is “newsworthy” (e.g. violence, drama, fear).
  • Gatekeepers (editors, producers, journalists) decide which stories get attention and how they're presented.

  📊 Reiner (2007):

  • Says violent crimes are over-represented in the media compared to how often they really occur.
  • Media exaggerates risk to certain groups like white people, children, and the elderly, increasing fear.
• Concerns About Youth Crime

  🔪 Antisocial Behaviour and Violence:

  • Teenage antisocial behaviour (vandalism, graffiti, knife crime) creates fear and public concern.
  • Seen as damaging to community life and costly to manage.

  📰 Pitts (2015):

  • Youth crime is often front-page news in the UK.
  • Creates public anxiety and pressure on politicians to act.

  👿 Newburn (2007):

  • Young offenders are treated as society’s number one “folk devil.”
  • This can cause a moral panic — when public fear becomes exaggerated and widespread.
  • Young people may become scapegoats, unfairly blamed for larger societal issues.
• Sentencing and Public Concern

  • Sentences aim to:
  • Punish the offender
  • Protect the public
  • Rehabilitate offenders
  • Reduce crime
• • Types of sentences:
  • Discharge – for very minor offences
  • Fine – up to £5,000 (Magistrates Court), unlimited (Crown Court)
  • Community sentence – may include curfews, electronic tags, unpaid work, avoiding certain places, meetings with probation
  • Prison sentence – for serious offences or when the public needs protection
• • Public concerns:
  • Lack of clarity about how sentencing works
  • Confusion and disagreement about early release from prison
  • Belief that some prison sentences are too soft or don’t reflect the harm caused to victims
  • Debate over whether certain groups (e.g. young people or those with mental health issues) should be imprisoned at all
• The Prison System & Young Offenders

  • Concerns about prisons:
  • Overcrowding
  • Staff shortages
  • High levels of suicide, self-harm, and violence among inmates
  • Concerns about young offender institutions:
  • Similar issues: mental health, safety, and support
  • Worry that they may not rehabilitate young offenders properly
• Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs)

  • Introduced to reduce antisocial behaviour in people aged 10 and over
  • Aimed to restrict behaviour (e.g. going to certain places or meeting certain people)
  • But they can be counterproductive:
  • Some young people see ASBOs as a badge of honour or status symbol