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Faith Gordon: Children, Young People and the Press in a Transitioning Society: Representations, Reactions and Criminalisation

Document Cited authorities 1 Cited in Related
AuthorJulie Doughty
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1111/jols.12149
Published date01 March 2019
Date01 March 2019
CHILDREN, YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE PRESS IN A TRANSITIONING
SOCIETY: REPRESENTATIONS, REACTIONS AND CRIMINALISATION
BY FAITH GORDON
(London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2018, 293 pp., £88.00)
This is a remarkable and unusual book, in drawing directly on the voices of
children and young people from a group subject to particular attention in the
news media, as well as the views of representatives of the media and of
relevant children's organizations.
Children and adolescents have long been subject to popular representa-
tions as folk devils, particularly being perceived as wild, uncontrollable, and
(in the United Kingdom) disproportionately blamed for criminal activity.
Fear of youthful deviance is typically exploited by the mainstream media, as
part of its seeming obsession with the reporting of crime (rather than other
aspects of justice).
1
Faith Gordon has studied this phenomenon in the context
of a unique period in United Kingdom history ± the transition of Northern
Ireland society from conflict to peace, subject to constant media coverage.
Gordon explores the idea that media amplification of deviance contributes to
the creation of moral panics and folk devils, with young people demonized
and labelled as outsiders. This monograph presents her research in a
comprehensive but lively manner.
Cohen's concept of moral panic (originated in the 1960s when it was
associated with `mods and rockers') has come under some criticism, espe-
cially as reliant on an outdated view of the mass media.
2
However, its
application to street crime (`fear of being randomly attacked in the street by
violent young men') is still seen as relevant in societies with a free press.
3
The book focuses on the print media in Northern Ireland in the context of
its influence on popular culture and the impact of its portrayal of crime on
perceptions and responses. Gordon sets out the functions of the media as
informing, educating, and entertaining; transmitting culture and heritage to
the next generation; highlighting threats and opportunities; and interpreting
the `news of the day'. The rationale for protecting media freedom is the role
it plays in democracy: imparting information and acting as a public watch-
dog.
4
However, despite the exercise of these freedoms carrying with it duties
and responsibilities (European Convention on Human Rights, Article 10(2) ),
this study presents a sorry picture for anyone claiming that press reporting
aims to fulfil a public interest. Analysis of 2,456 news items and 2,204
181
1 L.J. Moran, `Mass mediated open justice: Courts and judicial reports in the press in
England and Wales' (2014) 34 Legal Studies 143.
2 A. McRobbie and S.L. Thornton, `Re-thinking moral panic for multi-mediated social
worlds' (1995) 49 Brit. J. of Sociology 559.
3 C. Critcher, `Moral panics' Criminology and Criminal Justice (published online
March 2017, doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190264079.013.155).
4 J. Rowbottom, Media Law (2018) ch. 1.
ß2018 The Author. Journal of Law and Society ß2018 Cardiff University Law School

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