CHAPTER 7 - Reporting the riots: images and impact

Abstract

A riot broke out in Brixton in 1981 that was not a rebellion in the sense of an organized attempt to overthrow the lawful government, for it was an unpremeditated outburst of anger and resentment against the police in a context of social and economic deprivation. This chapter discusses how the national press and television news reported the urban riots of July 1981. It also describes the impact that reporting had. A great deal more was said about the riots and their causes than appeared in the major news media of course. They were extensively discussed in current affairs programs and documentaries and in the weekly and monthly magazines. Nevertheless, most people gained a great deal of their information and impressions about the events from the national press and television news, and the images they offered shaped both the political debate and public opinion. Recent American research suggests that the news coverage of spectacular challenges to order, such as large-scale rioting or political assassinations, can play a key role in fuelling fears about the breakdown of society and in mobilizing popular support for tough counter measures. The summer riots were just such a formative moment.