Media construction of reality represenation of Old People and Old Age in the Czech Media Mgr. Renáta Sedláková, Ph.D.
[email protected] Department of journalism Palacký University in Olomouc Mgr. Lucie Vidovićová, Ph.D.
[email protected] Research Institute for Labour and Social Affairs
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
REASONS FOR RESEARCH • demographic changes: ageing of the Czech/EU population • age as a social construct • media as key agents participating on the proces of the social construction of reality European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
MEDIA CONSTRUCTION OF REALITY Media are: the main source of knowledge about outer world. Their power is especially in the cases about which we do not have our own experiences. "Here may lie the most important effect of mass communication, its ability to mentally order and organize our world for us. In short, the mass media may not be successful in telling us what to think, but they are stunningly successful in telling us what to think about" [Shaw & McCombs 1977].
• •
representation of reality in the media representation of the Others in the media
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
… why media really matter… »”But why such old ladies? And why such cruel attacks,” not just the judge but also the associate justice asked. “Old people are trustful and inattentive. I learned from the media how easily they could be deceived,” the monstrous human explained how his long series of crimes had started.« (Blesk 14. 7. 2004, p. 6)
media representation as a self-fulfilling prophecy European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
MEDIA: • do not reflect reality, but create it - theory of media construction of reality (agenda setting,topic selection) • create images • (re)produce stereotypes • ascribe meaning to: people, events have the power to exclude or include social groups and individuals European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 2 waves of research – year 2004 and 2008 - analysis of printed media – nationwide dailies: Mladá fronta Dnes, Právo, Lidové noviny, Hospodářské noviny, Blesk + Aha, Šíp (cca 18 000 articles) - analysis of the main news services of nationwide television channels: Czech television (public service broadcaster) - Události Nova (commercial) - Televizní noviny Prima (commercial) – Deník (cca 700 pieces of news) - content analysis + interpretative sociological reading - key words: senior, seniors, pension, (male/female) pensioner, retirement, retired person, old age, old aged people, old, old woman, old man, elderly, elderly person, grandmother, grandfather. - only transcriptions (written part) of the news (without visual part of the news and pictures) European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Quantity of news issued in 2004 and 2008 UNDERREPRESENTATION count
2004
television news
261
dailies
cca 7500
50 %
2008
66 % 435 cca 10000
J. Hartley: myth of marginality – coverage which overrides complexity of the life of minorities and starves for the news from mainstream society; simplyfication, generalization and positioning to the margin of the society
increasing coverage of minorities does not mean simultaneously their understanding European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Share of messages by media type Newspapers/televisions Mladá fronta Dnes (top readed) Blesk (tabloid) Právo Hospodářské noviny (quality press, economy oriented) Lidové noviny Aha (tabloid) Šíp (tabloid)
2004 72% 13% 9% 5% 1%
2008 55% 6% 17% 6% 9% 3% 3%
Count 100 % of articles
7500
10 000
Nova - Televizní noviny (commercial) Prima – Deník (commercial) ČT1 – Události (public service)
39% 32% 29%
25% 33% 43%
Count 100 % of news
261
435
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Significance of the article Old people and old age as: NEWSPAPER (%) Aha Blesk Šíp Hospodářské noviny Lidové noviny Mladá fronta Právo
MAIN THEME 29 15 27 20 22 17 21
count
20 %
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
SECONDARY MENTIONED THEME THEME 26 45 50 35 42 31 24 56 24 54 26 56 34 44
30 %
50 % Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Thematic frames of printed articles Topic
2004
Economy 34% 62% Crime 28% Life story 8% Culture 8% Social work 7% Health 4% Demography 2% Politics 2% Housing 1% Other 1%
Topic
2008
Economy 22% Politics 22% 64% Crime 20% Social politics and social work 13% Leasure time 9% Life story 7% Health 5% Culture 5% Housing 4% Other 6%
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Thematic frames of television news téma/rok 1. Crime
2004
78%
téma
2008
64%
38%
1.
Politics
2. Political economy
28%
2.
Crime
18%
3. Tragedy
12%
3.
Ekonomy
16%
4. Life story
9%
4.
Life story
11%
5. Social work
6%
5.
Tragedy
7%
6. Culture
2%
6.
Social work
5%
7. Health
2%
7.
Culture
4%
8. Demography
1%
8.
Housing
3%
9.
Health
3%
Other
3%
Other
1%
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
30%
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
What is not mentioned/presented: John Hartley: for analysis of representation of any event/person or group is also very important what is not presented – what remains hidden?
ageism, discrimination everyday life heterogeneity within the group of older people realised activities feminization of old age intergenerational relations domestic violence European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
CRIME Old people as victims of crimes defenceless, lonely, trustful grandmams kind-hearted granies and grandadies „Hasiči je považují za podvodníky a varují před nimi hlavně důvěřivé důchodce.“ ČT1 28.1.2008
Old people as ofenders or accused of crimes trafic accident, curious crimes: shouting, growing marihuana, maltreat of annimals and people „Po chvíli se rozzuřený důchodce dostal od slov k činům. Domů si došel pro plynovou pistoli.“ NOVA 9.4.2008
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
Kam zmizela demografická panika? fenomén veřejně artikulovaných obav z budoucího vývoje společností na základě měnící se demografické struktury jejich populace, který vychází z předpokladu, že společnost ztratí svůj blahobyt, dojde-li k (Walker 2002, Bytheway 1995) zestárnutí její věkové struktury.
morální panika - postup, kterým média přispívají k sociální
stigmatizaci či exkluzi skupin/jedinců, jež sama nejprve označila jako deviantní/nebezpečné („my“ vs. „oni“) (Cohen 1967)
»V roce 2050 se Česko změní v zemi důchodců« NOVA 8. 1. 2004
Ačkoli byla v roce 2008 schválena novela důchodové reformy, včetně posunutí hranice vstupu do důchodu do vyššího věku, televize ve zpravodajství demografické změny české populace v této souvislosti netematizovala. European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
INFOTEINMENT INFORMATION + ENTERTAINMENT Language: key tool of construction of reality – power feature of significantion of the Others -> social exclusion „Pro zloděje jsou totiž důchodci snadnou kořistí.“
PRIMA 22.1.2008
not neutral emotive symptomatic significations „…spousta babiček z domova důchodců posílaly napletený bačkůrky.“ ČT1 5.9.2008
„Sedmdesáti sedmiletá babička byla podchlazená, ale komunikovala.“
ČT1 29.1.2008
dramatization „… poplatky definitivně znemožní těmto lidem důstojný život.“ NOVA 10.2.2008
impact on emotions and personalization „Jen krůček od smrti byla sedmapadesátiletá invalidní důchodkyně z Karlových Varů. Bála se, jít k lékaři.“ NOVA 15.1.2008 European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
DOES AGE MATTER? • Nicola Smith (man) hurt in a car accident. • George Smith (Romany) hurt in a car accident. • Mary Smith (68) hurt in a car accident. Journalists tend to overuse indication of chronological age of the actors of presented events. Age quoted also in irrelevant cases. Multiplication of status. European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
BASIC FINDINGS: old people and old age topics are still marginal in media; Information presented from the majority point of view; older people are used as commentators of specific events (ekonomic crisis, price raising, rental regulation) and mentioned as primary endangered group (e.g. of health risks) „Ekologická reforma se dotkne stovek tisíc lidí. … Nejvíce poškozeni budou důchodci.“ ČT1: 6.1.2008 „Senioři jsou tedy nemoci vydáni stále na pospas.“ PRIMA 25.1.2008
active older people (e.g. celebrities, artists) presented and celebrated as an exception: „No a teď vám ukážeme slíbeného muže, jehož vitalitu mu můžeme všichni skutečně jen závidět, Je mu neuvěřitelných sto jedna let a poslouchejte dobře, příští měsíc v Londýně poběží maraton.“ NOVA 13.3.2008
European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
In comparision with the year 2004: - increase of articles (Právo, Lidové noviny and ČT) - widening of spectra of thematic frames of presented news; more attention devoted to social politics and social work and news about daily events, but still a quarter of news about crimes - decline of infantilization, patronizing and elderspeak - decline of news about demography - emerge little difference between commercial media and media of public service and quality press
=> SIMPLYFYING IMAGE WITH FEATURES REFERRING TO MYTHS OF OLD AGE AND STEREOTYPES: old + poor + trustful and endangered European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
„Takhle nějak vypadá všední den českého důchodce. Ráno vstane, nasnídá se. Koukne na seriál, uvaří oběd a pak si trochu odpočine. … Pak procházka nebo nákup. Večer zase televize. Jinou možnost stejně jako dalších více než dva miliony českých důchodců v podstatě nemá. Chybí vyžití a taky peníze.“ PRIMA 2.3.2008
Thank you for your attention. European Conference on Dignity and Hazard in the Elderly
Prague 25.-26.5.2009
