The newspaper coverage of the riots escalates as the violence spreads geographically. Early coverage focuses on the extreme violence in London, with descriptions of large areas burning, children as young as eight throwing bottles at police, and anarchy spreading. Later coverage reports on riots in other cities like Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Wolverhampton, with detailed accounts of looting, arson, and clashes with police. As the riots persist, the coverage also includes discussions of legal and political responses like arrests, jail time, and measures to help police stop further violence. Throughout, the language used in the coverage emphasizes the scale of the violence and criminal nature of the rioters.

1. How does the newspaper coverage
change as the riots progress?

2. ‘Decent into Hell’ - 09th August 2011
• Lists the extreme violence
– Large areas of the capital burned as mindless
thugs fought pitched battles with police, with
violence spreading to West London as the
windows of Hugo Boss on Sloane Square were
reportedly smashed.
– Children as young as eight were seen throwing
bottles at hard-pressed officers.
– The anarchy spread round the country as
Birmingham was also hit by looting and
violence broke out in Liverpool early today.
– Police confirmed riots in Bristol amid reports of
fires and looting in the city.
– Meanwhile a Sony distribution centre the size
of a football pitch collapsed in flames in
Enfield, North London, after being hit.
– Yobs used bins and shopping trolleys to smash
their way into a sports store. An off-duty bus
driver said: “They were like animals. It’s very
frightening.”

3. London riot cost to hit £100m
10th Aug 2011
• BRITISH insurers face a bill running into
“hundreds of millions of pounds” from the
London riots, it was claimed last night. Thousands
of homeowners and companies are expected to
seek damages from the carnage of the past three
days. But the huge cost is likely to be passed on
to TAXPAYERS. Insurers last night admitted they
expect to recover their costs from the Police
Compensation Scheme. This kicks in when
disturbances are legally defined as “riots”.
•

4. National lootery
Cameron fights back after 4th day of
violence
• HUNDREDS of copycat rioters rampaged through Manchester last night —
looting, wrecking and setting shops ablaze.
• Armed mobs took to the streets on a fourth day of violence that has spread across
the country.
• The number of cops deployed in the capital was increased to 16,000 — up from
6,000. London remained largely peaceful with 81 arrests, bringing the total to 768.
• And Prime Minister David Cameron said today that there was evidence the “more
robust approach to policing in London” was behind the much quieter night in the
capital.
• The PM spoke after another meeting of the Cobra emergency committee. He
declared the "fight-back" against violence was under way against the yobs who
smashed up Britain’s cities.
• David Cameron also included measures to help prevent further violence
– Whatever tactics the police feel they need to employ, they will have legal backing to do so.
– “Police are already authorised to use baton rounds.
•

5. 10th August onwards more news coverage
about different areas – not just London
• In MANCHESTER, hooded yobs armed with baseball bats ransacked stores in the
Arndale Centre while another mob torched a Miss Selfridge. To see dramatic
footage of the youth starting the fire at the store
• In SALFORD, young thugs torched a BBC radio truck and set fire to a housing office.
A gang of 100 louts set cars alight near Salford Shopping Centre — then pelted
firefighters with stones.
• In BIRMINGHAM, cops were last night investigating reports that a gun was fired
during fresh rioting in the city that saw 80 people arrested. Around 500 rioters also
taunted police near Birmingham’s Bullring centre after thugs tried to force their
way into a watch store. Thirty yobs stole jewellery from a shop in the city centre
after hurling manhole covers through the windows. Small gangs attempted to
blockade the main routes into the city using bricks scavenged from building sites
and wasteland as well as smashing glass across the road.
• In WOLVERHAMPTON, hundreds of youths invaded the city centre, smashing
windows and vandalising buildings. A boy of around 12 was seen throwing stones
at a police van.
• LIVERPOOL was hit by a second night of violence as thugs targeted fire engines
with missiles.

6. After this date there are reports of
repercussions
• Court procedures
• Jail
• Olympics girl is London 'riot yob‘
– Olympic ambassador was sent to jail over taking
part in the riots
• Even blamed the riots on the participants
parents
– ‘Riots blamed on poor parenting’

7. How is the newspaper coverage being
mediated?

8. The headline
‘‘Rioters ages 7’’
amplifies the hard
hitting use of the
specific age shocks
the readers

9. Mediation
Every time we encounter a media text, we are not seeing reality, but another version.
Such as in papers as the audience are being encouraged towards concentrating on one
aspect of the text, such as the headlines as they have to be eye catching to they grab the
audiences attention.

10. language and imagery
Everything we see or hear in the media is in fact mediated, the process of filtering the message is manipulated
for the viewers;
• ‘‘Descent into hell as London burns’’ this article title is really dramatic and grasps the attention of the
readers. ‘‘Woman leaps to safety from riot inferno’’ in Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol. - The language used
throughout the article all relates to fire and the connotations of fire is danger, fear, enhancing the violence
and terror that the riots are inflicting.
• ‘‘Large areas of the capital burned as mindless thugs fought pitched battles with police, with violence
spreading to West London as the windows of Hugo Boss on Sloane Square were reportedly smashed.’’ -
The word thugs highlights the stereotypical ideal of youths and battles shows the way that the media are
amplifying the riots as a battle between classes.
• ‘‘Children as young as eight were seen throwing bottles at hard-pressed officers.’’ - The articles from The
Sun also focus very much on the age of the rioters and constantly refereeing to them as young as eight
which again enhances the outrage that British youths are becoming more and more influence to violence
at a young age.

11. language and imagery
‘‘On the prowl ... a masked lout marauds through burning Hackney yesterday’’
This statement that The Sun has described with this image involves ‘prowl’. This gives the youths a animalistic
trait making them seem more savage like, distancing them away from human beings as they rioted around
London. The also use of ‘burning’ indicates that they no longer describe Hackney as a town but as burning
highlighting the idea that its being destroyed and soon becoming the habitat for the rioters that the police
need to claim back to a restored society.

12. language and imagery
• ‘‘A woman called Caroline told how her husband was dragged off his motorbike by a baying mob of 12
hooded youths, who beat and kicked him, then took his bike. She said: “He is in a real state and we can’t
get to him. This is just sheer criminality. These people have no cause.”
• ‘‘HACKNEY descended into a war zone after the rioting broke out about 5pm. Senior cops were checking
reports that the violence was sparked by a stop and search. Three police cars were destroyed in daylight
and another vehicle still ablaze as darkness descended. ‘’- The language used especially a ‘‘warzone’’
which amplifies the battle that was occurring creating a more dramatic description of the events.
• ‘‘EIGHT police officers were hospitalised following rioting in North London last night.’’ The use of the
capital letter highlights the outrage that eight police officers were submitted to hospital, which shows the
lack of respect to the authority of society.
Images from the papers

13. Who’s perspective is the article/paper written
from?
The article is written from the perspective of adults and perhaps middle or upper
class to highlight the occurrence of the moral panic (Cohen 1972) of the riots. The
theory of McRobbie (2004) shows the representations and emphasis of the
middle class and its dominance and depict the working class in negative ways.
The perspective also use Gramsic's theory of (1971) Cultural Hegemony which
argues the idea that one social class which is usually middle class and upper class
societies go on to dominate a society by making their way of life and values
appear normal, juxtaposing the youths and the rioting. Giroux (1997) shows that
media representations of young people are constructed by adults, because of this
they reflect adults concerns and anxieties.

14. The Sun: Moral Panic in the
London Riots

15. Moral Panic created from the front
covers
• Showing buildings on fire shows how violent the rioters are. It makes
people worry about if their houses could end up on fire due to the riot.
• The people they’ve captured in the photographs look intimidating as their
faces are covered and they’re wearing dark clothing. It creates moral panic
as you can’t see the identity of who is involved in the violent protesting.
They are portrayed as the type of people you’d want to avoid in the
streets.
• Moral Panic is created for the older generation as the paper is focusing on
mainly youths in the riots. Mentioning the rioters ages emphasises how
young some of the people are that are getting involved.

16. Moral Panic in the articles
• The language used “Riots Ravage Tottenham” is quite extreme and
emotive. The word “ravage” is quite animalistic portraying how the media
sees the youths.
• Moral Panic is created by emphasising the fact that “EIGHT police officers
were hospitalized…” The word “EIGHT” is written in capital letters to
highlight the number. This creates moral panic making the public feel that
if the police are getting injured and can’t stop the riots, no one is safe.
• “Cops battle riots across London”. The word “battle” creates moral panic
as it implies that a kind of war is happening. Innocent people living in the
local areas would be shocked that this is happening near them and would
be frightened of it.

17. What identity is being constructed for
the British youths shown in this
coverage?

18. ‘Mindless Violence’
Hoodie and
bandana
Striking headline.
Represented in
tracksuit, bottom
s, the
stereotypical
hoodie and
Fire walking away trainers.
from the scene he’s
just created.

19. Hoodies and caps worn
Caught in the act violently
representing the stereotypical
smashing window.
youth.
Stereotypical
gang.
Destruction ... yobs kick in the window of a jewellery store near
Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre
Named as ‘yobs’.

20. Covering of face.
Chaos ... yob in front of blazing car in Hackney
Striking image of
scene
Named as ‘yob’.