Moral Panics

Drawing on examples, discuss the ways in which the media are able to create 'moral panics'

The term 'Moral Panic' was first introduced to sociological debate in Stanley Cohen's book Folk Devils and Moral Panics where he characterised it as an 'episode, condition, person or group of persons' which become 'defined as a threat to societal values and interests' (Cohen, S, 1972, p9). Cohen argued that the mass media's often sensationalised, exaggerated and stereotyped representations of people or events contribute to the creation of certain demonised individuals or groups within society which he dubbed 'folk devils' (Cohen,S, 1972, cited in Goode & Yehuda 1994, p24). Furthermore he believed this results in a 'deviancy amplification spiral' resulting in negative social and political reactions and the propensity of labelled groups to identify with and reflect their stereotypes (Cohen, S, 1972, p9). There is however debate regarding the importance of the media in moral panic and its role in influencing attitudes and behaviours in general (Baldock et al, 2007). This essay is an attempt to re-examine the relevance of Cohen's theories on the media moral panic and link them with the concepts of Moral regulation and social control.

Questions had been raised concerning the structure, power and influencing effects of the mass media prior to Cohen's work in 1972. Early Marxists saw the mass media as an integral part of the superstructure of capitalism, a means of production owned by and reflecting the views and moral ideals of the ruling classes. (Chandler, D, 2000). In 1845 Marx & Engels wrote 'The class which has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production, so that thereby, generally speaking, the ideas of those who lack the means of mental production are subject to it (Marx & Engels: The German Ideology, cited in Curran et al. 1982: 22). Marxists continue to see the media as a means of control, promoting neo-liberal values and impeding what they see as the natural development of a class consciousness. (Chandler, D, 2000). Hall for example uses Cohen's moral panic theory and that of deviancy amplification in the context of a diversion creating scapegoats such as that of the 'black mugger' which distract us from our real material problems, something which occurs increasingly when the capitalist system is facing a period of crisis (Hall et al 1978).

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Cohen's initial study was based on the conflict between Mods and Rockers during the so called Rock and Roll era of the 1950's. Cohen was interested in youth culture and the regularity of one or more social groups such as the Teddy Boys or Hells Angels to emerge in each historical era which are perceived and become labelled as a threat to social order. (Cohen, 1972, p9). Cohen argued that a moral panic 'the reactions of the media, law enforcement, politicians, action groups and the general public are out of proportion to the real and present danger a given threat poses to the society' (Goode, Yehuda, 1994, p156). Furthermore he believed that the narrative of media reporting in moral panics is set by a 'moral barricade' of powerful figures such as politicians, religious leaders and media editors (Cohen 1972, p9). These 'arbiters of moral regulation' or 'moral entrepreneurs' appear as experts or commentators and act to define the media agenda. If a particular 'folk devil' is deemed to be a threat to law and order then as well as distorting the risk the media also often calls for a reaction, which to a degree it dictates. Due to the subjective nature of a perceived threat and a proportional reaction Cohen's theory is often criticized. To be described as a moral panic, panic inferring irrationality, a subjective judgement must be made which differentiates between a rational and irrational perception of threat. Criticism is levelled by social constructionists like Hunt who reject the comparison of real to actual and rather seek to understand and describe the processes of political morality rather than offer a perspective on their cause. (Critcher, C, 2009), (Yoemans, H, 2009). Critcher thankfully rejects this approach as social sciences must have a political purpose; if research and learning is not to be used to discern reality from representation then what exactly is the point? (Critcher, C 2009, p32). Therefore it is vital for social scientists to examine the social and political implication of media representation.

The media plays an important role in influencing attitudes as it 'shape's people's world outlook, their forms of cultural identity as well as all processes of communicative exchange' (Schaffer, 2007). Also functioning as 'window to the outside world; what appears across its landscape actually may become peoples reality' and can be divisive by 'portraying a world in which people's opinions are based on their ethnic or demographic group membership (Anastasio et al, 1999, p1). Therefore by misrepresenting the world in this way 'the media may also subtly but powerfully create the very opinions they seek to reflect' (Anastasio et al, 1999, p1). Concern regarding the power and influence of major news corporations and their executives so called 'media moguls' has only intensified following recent increases in the concentration of media ownership. Debate revolves around who or what sets the media agenda; some argue the media reflects the opinions of the elite's in society to which the majority of its influential figures belong. Others however cite the desire to make a profit and sell news as a product to be the driving force behind its stylisation and sensationalism (Davies, N, 2004). Theories involving the media being the major actor in moral panic and even perhaps purposely miss-representing events in line with a hidden agenda rely heavily on the explanation of individuals as relatively passive recipients of information. However critics argue that we access risk in a much more calculated way and highlight the importance of cultural factors and experiences. There are also distinctions between different types of media and the effects they have on different societal groups or individuals but nonetheless many moral panics surround issues or cultures that the recipient has very little or no prior knowledge on. In such situations the media is clearly the largest influence as it is the only source of information. (Baldock et al, 2007).

The media continually infer a decline of public standards maintaining an almost continuous moral panic in the belief that society has somehow lost something and that the