Media and Moral Entrepreneurs

[the Black Prince]

i know this sounds like a moral issue, and for the ethos
i assure you its not, its about the ability of the media to influence government policy

in the past, sociology mentions figures known as moral entrepreneurs who take advantage of social conditions to drive up a moral panic targeted at a particular group. its common involving young people... with the modern day Chav being very much a subject of a moral panic like Mods and Rockers before them, and Juvenile Delinquents all the way back to Victorian london.

my point here is to investigate to what extend the media drives and fuels these panics, and how far they go in influencing policy.

there is much analysis at the moment about the government seeming to base policy on the demands of tabloid newspapers, notably the News of the World and the debate over a UK Megan's Law, but also with regard to a great many otrher law and order issyues as well...

is the media abusing its position as a vocal mouthpiece of the common man when it demands in big bold headlines changes it wants to see, and the government, seeing a media appearing to speak for the people caving to its demands.

a government that listens to the people would be a wondrous thing to behold, but making policy U-Turns, and simply making up policy based on the biggest boldest and loudest headlines from various media outlets surely cannot be good for anyone?

[Denny Crane!]

Is this not typical of Labours populist government style? It is just highlighting flaws in the democratic system. The papers exploit what people want to hear to sell papers, reactionary knee jerk ideas to sometimes false or exagerrated stories. People buy these, the most popular papers, and love it. The government in its pursuit of re-election and propaganda style government react to it to save there poll figures.

It is direct democracy in action really but under the influence of unscrupulous figures, it is mob rule. It is another reason not to support democracy where an idiot has as much worth as a genius in political terms.

If you want to hear a debate between a Times reporter and the editor of the Daily mirror as well as some talk on the idea itself go to radio two jeremy vine and listen again to Tuesdays show.

Peter