The picture above is used on the channel 4 website promoting the programmethe best and worst place to live. The above image reinforces the London-centreprejudices about the north of England and Teesside in particular. The dominantideology, or the ‘it’s grim up north’ position is one that we see constantly in themodern British media. Perhaps what’s unusual however is the fact that Teessideis even visible in the national media at all, of it has long been invisible. Mostpeople outside the region identify the area exclusively with Newcastle and‘Geordies’Image analysis is very telling here, the material has been exclusively selected toreinforce the misconception that Teesside is an industrial waste-land. Even thecolour composition reinforces the run-down grey and gloom atmosphere. Asyntagm for Teesside is being created in the national consciousness via prolificand sustained negative representations of the area. The image below build onthis significant index of negative symbols. The above discarded can of alcohol could be founded anywhere in the country,but on the channel 4 website it is coupled with the picture of heavy industry torepresent a town on it’s knees struggling with the outdated industries and severesocial problems. Cropping is used here to make the meaning emphatic. What’stroubling here is thee audience positioning and the mode of address is entirelyinappropriate. If the subject matter was the basis for an informed documentaryraising awareness of social problems in Teesside we could applaud theprogramme for highlighting genuine problems as means of putting pressure onthe government to addresses these issues directly. This was certainly not thecase. This was an entertainment show that encouraged the viewer to make lightof these issues and I would even go so far to say it encouraged viewers to projecttheir prejudice on the whole regionMiddlesbrough
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