Transcript Social Problems: Media and the Construction of Social Problems

Social Problems: Media and the
Construction of Social Problems
Robert Wonser
Spring 2012
Where does knowledge come from?
Knowledge is socially constructed (i.e.
shaped by culture and social systems) and
we depend on it for our sense of realty.
Most of what we know is obtained from
others, including media.
Media have a certain cultural authority for
an audience to accept the authority they
impart into our own sense of reality.
Media and Social Problems
 Where does the media fit in?
 Is media coverage essential for a social problem’s
survival?
 Altheide (1997) argues the media use a problem frame
to present information in a way that merges news and
entertainment.
 Media create a “secular version of a morality play”
 Problem frame reduces complex or ambiguous events to
a simplistic moral truth that fits the current structure of
news programming.
 Such framing promotes messages of fear
Culture of Fear
 Culture of fear refers to fear generated by the
mass media through a variety of techniques.
Ex: killer bees, flesh-eating bacteria, swine flu, terrorists,
crime, etc.
 Culture of fear originates in the structure and
needs of the media (in terms of viewers and
income).
 “Power and money await those who tap into our
moral insecurities and supply us with moral
substitutes.” - Glassner
Sensationalism or Propaganda
 “if it bleeds it leads”
Ten things in your kitchen that could kill you! – tune in at
eleven!
 Propaganda refers to some kind of message
(e.g. political, marketing) intended to influence
people’s opinions or behaviors.
 According to Herman and Chomsky, the primary
function of the US media is to mobilize public
backing for government or private-sector
interests.
Elites control info by selecting which issues are
covered/avoided, shaping (or framing) issues, controlling
info, restricting debates.
Media as secondary Claimsmaker
 Bandwagon technique: an appeal to join the crowd
 Loaded terminology/name-calling: media describe
people in a loaded way (ex: baby killers, commies,
terrorists).
 Call on credibility: media appeal to respect for authority
to gain support for a particular issue (ex: using
scientists, politicians, academics who support the
claim).
 Anomalous events presented as trends: media focus
on rare events makes them seem more common
 Use of emotions over objective information: when
media frame stories around an emotional lens rather
than a factual one
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation
Beware: Correlation ≠ Causation