Representation of young people in the media

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Representation of young people in the media

By Gemmie Alliston, 21 Young people are tomorrow's leaders, offering fresh perspectives and energy as well as the willingness to learn. Yet the media often treat youth only as fodder for their next story, shoplifting or graffiti. Frequently, young people are misrepresented in media stories or are absent altogether. Therefore, stereotypes of young people being trouble makers who have little value to society are perpetuated, creating distance between youth and other groups in the community. However, the media have the ability to report positively on young people, celebrating their achievements and goals whilst still meeting their key aim of reporting accurately and fairly. Media professionals decide what is 'newsworthy' based on a variety of values including impact, conflict and timeliness (Conley, p 42. 2002). Consequently, journalists are constantly seeking stories which present polar pints of view that are current and relevant to a large number of people. So how do young people fit into this equation? Even stories based on human interest rarely feature young people, leaving them condemned to be represented only in stories about gangs or other criminal activities. Also, young people are rarely approached by the mainstream media to give their views on issues. "Clearly, the media form a discretionary area where decisions regarding content are made on a daily, pragmatic and usually culturally stereotypical bias" (Crane, p101, 1997). The status quo is maintained, and people have come to expect negative stories to be presented in newspapers and on television and radio news programs. Young people are not only the only group poorly represented, with minority groups such as Indigenous Australiana also being stereotyped and repeatedly receiving limited media coverage reflecting their views and values. Whilst the consequences of this misrepresentation or lack of representation may seem minimal, they are infact far reaching. "The image of young people engaged in anti-social activity, violent outbursts, unreasonable behaviour, crime and drug abuse is a favourite of the press as it generates strong feelings of moral outrage and antagonism (Bussey, p35, 2003). The constant portrayal of youth as people who negatively impact on the community reinforces this distortion to society including young people themselves. Headlines such as "Boys on gang rape charges" (Kennedy, p3, 2005) or 'Police capture teenagers in slow-speed getaway' (La Canna, p5, 2005) are far more common than stories detailing the positive contributions that young people are making in the community. "The representation of young people in the media is seldom problematic The very existence of young people is often regarded as threatening and rarely are 'good news stories' about young people reported in the press" (Cook and Marks, p156, 1997). Journalists have the same responsibility to report about young people in a fair and accurate manner as they have to other groups. Equally, young people can take a proactive approach by holding the media accountable for the way they portray youth. They can write letters to newspaper editors about articles they feel have been written particularly badly or well, and become educated about current affairs topics in order to be able to comment intelligibly about issues of significance to the community. Young people are not alone in their desire to be represented more fairly. Across the country, many advocates recognise the difficulties that youth face in receiving the chance to present their views. In 2000 the NSW Office of Children and Young People and the Minister Assisting the Premier on Youth Affairs ran the 'What's the Story? Youth Media Forum' aiming to bring young people and journalists together to seek solutions to problems between young people and the media. Also, the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria has produced a resource for journalists called 'In the spotlight: young people and the media' which examines the relationship between the two parties and possibilities for being more inclusive of young people. It would be incorrect to suggest that all journalists and media outlets fail to give young people a voice in stories. There are in fact several organisations who have actively sought contributions from young people. The Ballarat Courier in Victoria dedicates one page every Thursday to stories written by and for young people on issues they believe are important. Seeking a more accurate representation of young people in the media requires a joint effort by youth and media professionals. Young people must proactively insist that the media provide a greater

variety of stories about youth and their views, whilst media professionals need to ensure that each story they tell is balanced and non-discriminatory. Many young people may currently feel discouraged because of how they are portrayed in the media, but mutually beneficial relationships can be built within the two groups. In a similar fashion to other groups in society, young people are beginning to demand that they are depicted in a more accurate manner. Youth can still feature in media stories, however a greater focus on accomplishments and triumphs rather than poor behaviour is needed. To date, there have been several encouraging examples of young people being included positively in the media and both youth and the media have a responsibility to ensure that this evolution continues with the aim of interesting, accurate and positive stories about young people being told.