riot videos.

Who do the reporters interview?
In this piece of news coverage, the news presenter interviews the home secrety on the events of the London Riots in an attempt to get her outlook on the events. In this interview the secretary is sure that the actions from the youths were unacceptable and would not be tolerated. She describes that the people responsible for the riots and all those who took part would face the consequences and that nothing would be forgotten about. It is interesting that she doesnt mention the alleged reasons behind the riots or what it was that may have started them. A lot of the government members acted as if these riots were out of the blue and that no one really expected them. However, young people argue that if the government had listened to them previously about cuts, unemployment and university fees then this wouldnt have happened. When asked about the motives behind the riots the home secretary simply says it is 'sheer criminality'. She disregards any reports of the reasons that could have spurred the youths to cause such damage and says that it is just 'thuggary'.
What images are used? What do these images suggest as a representation of the riots?
The images used are very similar to that of other news coverage. Among the coverage of the riots similar images were used which expressed the riots in the most negative way possible.In this particular broadcast images of youths gathering together in tribe like groups are shown to represent the force that was behind the riots. A line of police officers is shown on the opposing side to the youths which acts like a barricade against the shopping street and district. It represents the youths being caged in and unable to create any more havoc or display any other violence. Other images are used of the disasterous scenes in which people have broken shop windows or doors and looted until the shops were near enough empty. The broadcast tries to represent the youths as animals, showing them acting out of greed and selfishness. It fails to include images of jobless youths or even homeless youths which would suggest the reasons as to why the riots took place.
Is it biased? Are youths given a fair voice?
This broadcast is very much biased as the youths have no voice to speak their opinions, their motives or their reasons behind the start of the riots. The only opinion that we hear of is the home secretary who is clearly against the riots and sees no plausible reason as to why they started. Most of the information that is spoke of on the broadcast is taken from a government point of view or is a very wide view of the events. It doesnt look into the finer details of exactly why the riots started because then the public mayu understand why the youths acted in such a way. Youths arent given a fair voice in this broadcast because they are given no voice at all. There is no comment from a youth or a gang member or someone who has taken part in the riots. We only hear the views of people on the opposing side and so the public can only relate to that one person and cant understand the youths motives because they havent been given a chance to explain them.






Who do the reporters interview?
The reporters interview a group of young male gang members in this broadcast who have taken part in the violence and looting in the South London area. The four males are dressed in hooded tops with scarves covering their faces. They were tracksuit bottoms with Nike trainers and gloves on their hands. The importance of what they are wearing is highlighted when the camera pans across their bodies to show their outfits. The public associate youths with this type of dress sense and see it is as a moral panic. The public fear those who dress like this, mainly young people, and so it has become an epidemic across the country to fear these people.
However, in this interview the youths get a chance to explain some of the motives behind the riots and what spurred them on to create such havoc. They explain that society has let them down and not listened to the shouts of young people for long enough. They say that young people feel this is their last resort to be listened to as no other way has yet worked.
What images are used? What does this suggest about representation of the riots?
The images that are used are again mainly negative. Shots of disturbing images are used to represent the enormity of the chaos that has took over the cities from the riots. Images of flames are used a lot in this broadcast to represent the ferocity at which the youths acted and the violence which they caused to buildings, homes and vehicles.
In this broadcast we can see shots of the products that have been looted from different stores. A lot of the products are expensive televisions, iPods, phones and more. These are very materialistic items that are associated with the younger generation. Technology is very much a new invention that is thought to belong to todays younger generation. This would be the type of product that the young people would want to loot rather than cheaper things.
The images used when the interview of the young people takes place are that of the people who are being interviewed. It is easy to see that they are dressed according to our expectations. They wear hoodies,tracksuits and trainers whicha are the clothing items that people expect to see thugs dressed in. Their outfits make them look to be the social deviants and their actions subvert the social rules and regulations of the country made primarily by the government.
Is the broadcast biased? Do youths have a fair voice?
Compared to the majority of news coverage of the riots, this particular piece does provide a voice for the young people and allows them to voice their motives behind the riots. The interviewer asks questions as to why the looting and riots started and not only what they stole or took. The young people are able to vent their frustration at government cuts, unemployment, treatment of youths and the current crisis with which young people are forced to live with. They explain how hard it is for young people to find jobs to be able to afford the things which they have previously looted. They add that young people want to work but dont have the chance to due to problems within the government which have effected them.
To an extent this broadcast can be seen as biased because only young people are interviewed. There is no opposing viewpoint to accompany this. However, in most of the news coverage young people don't have a chance to respond at all and so to have this chance to explain their motives is only fair.



Who do the reporters interview?
The reporters of this particular piece of news coverage interview local MP's and a police officer about the riots that have been taken place. When speaking to the police officer, he expresses that the police force weren't 'anticipating' the level of violence that had occurred. They believed that this peaceful protest in memory of the young male who was shot would end peacefully aswell.
The reporters also interview a local MP who decribes the rioters as 'mindless nonsense' who have 'destroyed a community'. From a governments point of view, they are completely outraged by the violence that has took to the streets.
What images are used in the broadcast? What does this suggest about the representation of the riots?
The images throughout the broadcast are mainly negative images of youths destroying livelihoods and communities. Flames cover some scenes where fire has broke out in shops, houses and on the streets. This is a representation of the trauma that has been made through the riots and initially by youths.
One particular image shows a line of police charging at a mob of young people with batons, shields and protective clothing. This represents the force at which the police had to act with to keep the rioters back. However, the number of police in comparison to the number of rioters is very unbalanced which suggests that the police force wasnt as strong as it needed to be. This was a worry of the public through the riots as they felt they needed more security. This image helps the media to represent the worries of the public on television through the news broadcast.
Another image that is shown in this piece of news coverage is burnt down police cars that are discarded among one of the main shopping streets. Amongst the police cars, young males and females stand taking photographs, videos and images of the cars. This suggests that the riots have attracted alot of attention from the public, especially amongst the young demographic. This could also be representing the young people taking pride in the devastation that they have caused by taking images of it and the damage it has caused.
Is the broadcast biased? Are youths given a fair choice?
I think that to an extent this broadcast is biased as much of it's content is made up of images of the riots and interviews with people such as MP's, governors and police officers. Although there is an interview with a young male, it is not sufficient enough to match the accusations made by the other interviewees. The press use deviance amplification in order to suggest that youth culture is becoming a moral panic and use images and interviews with people from high places to provide evidence to their accusations.
Within this broadcast youths are not given a fair choice to react to judgements being made about them. The MP has a very long interview in which everything that he believes is shown on the broadcast. However the young male's interview is very short and doesn't allow him to express the meaning behind the riots and the reasons as to why this ever happened.