9.2.2

Social Class & Ethnicity

Test yourself

Working Class

The media shows each social class in a different light and rarely focuses on the conflicts between them. ​

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The working class

  • The media often represent the working class in a stereotypical context such as on soaps like Eastenders and Coronation Street.
  • British soaps show close knit working class communities but in reality, these communities have collapsed.
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Working class communities

  • Dodd and Dodd argue that instead, these communities are now threatened by criminal and racist forces.
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TV news

  • GUMG found that TV news is biased with regard to social class and reflects the interests of powerful groups. 
  • The coverage of the miners’ strike in the 1980’s illustrates this. 
  • GUMG argue that the overall impression by the media was that the workers caused the strikes.
  • This dominant view shows the working class in a negative way. 
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Lawler

  • Lawler argues that the media purposefully stigmatises the working classes as ‘white trash’.
  • Images show them wearing tracksuits and taking part in anti social behaviour.
  • Lawler argues that this neutralises public concern about the group.

Ethnicity

There are many racial stereotypes in the media. Ethnic minorities are portrayed as a “problem” and they are reported as the cause of crime and social disorder.

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Minorities

  • In the media ethnic minorities are portrayed as a “problem” and they are reported as the cause of crime and social disorder.
  • Van Dijk looked at the reporting of ethnic minorities between 1985 and 1989 and found that: ​ 
    • White citizens were reported positively.
    • Non-whites were reported negatively​.
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Van Dijk

  • Van Dijk also showed that the voice of the British press was predominately white, meaning that the majority of media owners, editors and journalists were from white backgrounds.
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Racial stereotypes

  • There are many racial stereotypes in the media.
  • Ethnic minorities are often portrayed in a negative way, such as:
    • Criminals.
    • Sufferers of AIDS in Africa.
    • Underachievers in school. 
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Moral panics

  • There have been many moral panics about ethnic minorities including Muslims, immigrants and refugees.
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Tokenism

  • Some sociologists discuss the use of tokenism in the media.
  • This is when a TV programme for example, will over represent ethnic minority groups.
  • This is regardless of whether or not the ethnic minority authentically fits into the story being told.
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Muslims

  • Muslims are often portrayed as the enemy within the press.
  • Poole argues that Muslims are demonised in the news and presented as a threat to society.
  • The group are often associated in the news with fundamentalism.  

Jump to other topics

1Theory & Methods

2Education with Methods in Context

3Option 1: Culture & Identity

4Option 1: Families & Households

5Option 1: Health

6Option 1: Work, Poverty & Welfare

7Option 2: Beliefs in Society

8Option 2: Global Development

9Option 2: The Media

10Crime & Deviance

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