Norms and values: arguments and findings
Norms are usually determined by the (socially, economically, culturally) dominant groups within society, in line with their own values Minority groups tend to deviate from these norms, almost by default – the norms are not determined by them Minority groups tend to be highlighted in the media as deviating more often than other groups Tabloid newspapers which rely on audience identification with them to maintain loyalty focus on ‘norms’ and deviance to reinforce that identification
Representation: basic assumptions
The news media ‘represent’ events to people who are not there to witness them firsthand People rely on news accounts as faithful representation of reality Representation is never ‘pure’ or ‘factual’ – it is inevitably distorted and altered by the process of representation This is not deliberate, it is a function of the production of news, and the people who produce it News discourse helps naturalize modern society’s distribution of power and influence, or in another word, dominant meanings, values and beliefs associated with inequalities, in the process of representation
