FilmFour Presentation

We were also asked to produce a presentation on an industry and write about things such as political affiliations, finance, values and products. It was interesting in finding out about the history of the company in relation to these things, particularly the political bias of the company. I will post the presentation at a later date as it is presently with my friend.

Last lesson on Moral Panics

Last lesson in Media, we learnt all about moral panics in the media.

Typical definition: Abstract concept used to make sense of "irrational public hysteria". Public and academic debate on moral panic works on the assumption that the media plays a significant role in determining the characteristics of a moral panic. Signifies complex processes that shape public perceptions of a perceived threat to the moral code of society.

Processual Model (natural process, media cannot help) --> Attends to process of a moral panic. Seven defined stages (Stanley Cohen's "Folk devils and moral panics" [1973]

1) Emergence - when a form of behaviour becomes perceived as a threat.

2) Media Inventory - explanation of threat is manipulated by media (distortion, exaggeration)

3) Moral Entrepreneurs - groups or organisations speak out and offers solutions.

4) Experts - socially accredited experts who diagnose solutions.

5) Coping of Resolution - reaction of the media, moral entrepreneurs of experts leads to legal reform.

6) Fading Away - the condition disappears, submerges or deteriorates or becomes more visible.

7) Legacy - A panic can have a long term effect or creates big changes in social policy, the law or society's view of itself.

Attribution Model (accusatory - attribute to certain groups) --> Erich Goode + Nachman Ben-Tehudas study, "moral panics: the social construction of deviance" [1994]. Claims those working in the media, political institutions of the legal system impact on moral panics through "claims making". 5 elements or criteria distinguish attributes of moral panics.

1)Concern - A heightened level of concern, measurable through opinion polls etc

2)Hostility - Increased hostility to a group or category seen as an 'enemy' to respectable society (Folk Devils).

3)Consensus - A substantial segment of society agrees that the threat is real or caused by 'wrongdoers'

4)Disproportionality -The reaction by the public is out of proportion to the actual harm.

5)Volatility - The idea that moral panics are volatile (insecure) by nature, erupt quickly but also often subside quietly. Each episode cannot be sustained for long.