This document discusses media representation and how the media presents reality in a blurred or modified way. It notes that when informing audiences, media aims to reach the maximum number of people. As a result, representations may stereotype or leave out certain groups. For example, magazines may target specific age demographics like 16-25 year olds but not exclude others. They also tend to avoid showing images that could offend different races, religions, or people with disabilities. The document then examines how the author's magazine represented or avoided certain social groups in its content and images.

1. Media Evaluation part 2
By
Mark Leonard

2. Media representation definition
• All media texts are re-presentations of reality.
There is always a true specific way that
something happened, but when the media
tells you want happened they give a blurred
version, a version which is true but also isn’t.
But with out the media our version of reality
would be limited to what we here from
different people.

3. Why is representation an important
media issue?
• When the media informs you of something they have to aim it for the
maximum amount of people.
• Say a picture of a famous boy band, this will be mainly targeted at a
female audience.
• Magazines can be aimed at any age group, most magazines will aim for the
group that will most likely read it. An example is Kerrang, they will aim
there magazine at 16-25 years, but that won’t stop a 65 year old from
reading it.
• Race and ethnicity is dodgy ground. You could say something which may
seem harmless to you but to someone else of a different race it could
really offend them.
• When most people think of the word disabled they think of a wheel
chair, well not every disabled person is in a wheelchair. There are people
with cognitive or mental disabilities. But overall these people in the eyes
of the media are seen as distasteful. It is very unlikely for you to go into a
shop and see a magazine with a picture of a “disabled” person on the front
cover.

4. How has my magazine represented
Gender.
• When I made my magazine pages I didn’t take gender into
account. I made the pages for a male and female audience.
• In my magazine I have no image’s which clearly involves a
women. One image is of the band Nightwish when they were
doing a gig in 2006. This image does have a woman in it, but
because of the size of the image and position the image was
taken during the gig, it is difficult to see.
• I feel that I have not stereotyped anyone in anyway in this
magazine.

5. What age groups are featured in my
magazine?
• The main images that are used in my magazine are of other
students in class. There age varies from 17-19.
• I aimed by magazine at 16 to 25 year olds, because they are
most likely to read this type of magazine, but that doesn’t
mean that someone outside of that age group can’t read the
magazine.

6. What social groups did I avoid or
target.
• My magazine is targeted at the rock/metal/punk genre. The
most likely type of person who would listen to this type of
music would be people who wear a darker style of clothing
and wear brands that not many people have heard of. To
prove this reason I’ve included bands like shinedown, which is
a recognised metal band.
I’ve tried to avoid the pop, rap, RaB, Jazz and
Classic genres. People who listen to this style of
music can be Identified by their liking of
wearing nothing but adidas or Umbro. I have
included the band McFly which is a pop rock
band, but only because the image clearly says
Mcfly.