Super Intent City: Media Portrayals of Homelessness
Date
2017-04-24
Authors
McCarthy, Morgan
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Abstract
This purpose of this project is to analyze print media representations portraying tent city to answer the following questions: What are the media representations of people experiencing homelessness? Who holds these representations and how do they change over time? What are the implications for public health and the role of public health in challenging stigma and influencing more accurate understandings of homelessness? Data were collected from September 1st, 2015 to September 30th, 2016 from 18 regional and national newspapers. The data were reduced to 289 primary newspaper articles and then analyzed using discourse analysis producing four discourses: need for healthy living spaces, public safety issues, criminalization and surveillance of poverty, and community/belonging. Overall, media representations shape the public’s opinion of who is deserving and undeserving in the community. Also, portrayals directly informed by people experiencing homelessness are critical to counter stereotypes and find solutions to homelessness.
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Keywords
Tent City, Victoria, Stigmatization, Homeless, Homelessness