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Representation of the Youth in the News
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Abstract
For a long time, media has played a major role in shaping the opinions and perceptions of the public. In fact, 90% of the world population is affected either negatively or positively by the information they obtain from the media (McCombs, 2013). In this regard, most of the newspapers and media material have associated the youth with immorality, crime and accidents. In essence, the media has, for a long time, negatively portrayed the youth (McCombs, 2013). As such, most studies in this area have focused on examining and confirming the portrayal of the youth by the media and most have come up to support the negative portrayal of the youth by the media. However, these researches have based their conclusions on the data collected over a short period of time. In this regard, this report seeks to present data collected over a long period of time (50 years) by focusing on how the youth have been portrayed by The New York Times between 1953 and 2003. The paper seeks to overcome the negative conclusions that have been based on data obtained over a short period by emphasizing on the data collected from 1953 to 2003.
REPRESENTATION OF THE YOUTH IN THE NEWS
Introduction
The conception of ‘media representation’ refers to the manner in which different groups are portrayed by the media (Bessant, & Hil, 1997). The media is frequently accused of spreading stories about youth and crime. Particularly, the media and the sensationalist press time and again appear continually preoccupied with the view that every young person is a threat to his or her community (Levinsen & Wien, 2011).

In this regard, numerous studies have publicized that media exposure influences our society and vice versa. Research has made known that there is a continuous relation between our public and private behavior, the political agenda and the pattern of language and opinion (Hull, 2003). In fact, Hacking (2004) has stated that the purported ‘looping effect’ is in existence: people’s behaviors may be influenced in accordance with the major descriptions of the crowd to which they fit in. In the end, this means that if the overriding description of the youth in the media involves drugs and crime, then the youth may become more criminal and violent (Osgerby, 2004).
Moreover, experiments carried out by social psychologists have indicated that typecasts are self-reinforcing (Kite & Wagner 2002). Analyzing the manner in which media portrays the youth is, therefore, significant: if the mainstream media portrayal of the youth is negative, then both the youth themselves, youth researchers and journalists should be conscious and take into account that certain generation will have a change of behavior (Osgerby, 2004). In essence, seeing as the media plays a major role in the creation of public judgment, laws and policies, negative media publicity about the youth come with serious consequences (Hull, 2003). Negative media portrayal can estrange the youth from the society and result in unjust discrimination. As such, there are valid reasons for carrying out longitudinal research of media portrayals when these social devices are taken into account.
According to Stensaas (1961), the media has been blamed for laying emphasis on negative news items and giving least attention to the passive news in which the youth are involved. In fact, reviews of the teenage groups point out that teenagers suppose newspapers and the media exaggerate news involving juvenile violence and crime while paying no attention to the accomplishments of the youth. However, after carrying out studies on 12 daily newspapers, including 949 issues of those newspapers and all the materials mentioning juveniles on those issues, Stensaas found that there is no valid evidence to support these claims as the claims have been made on the foundation of informal and casual media observations and on public opinion polls basis (Stensaas, 1961). As such, his study found out that the stories published in the newspapers about juveniles were all neutral as there were both positive and negative stories about the youth. On the other hand, according to Williamson & Pearson (1983), the media has portrayed juveniles as the new threat to the security of our society. In their research, they state that hooliganism has been on the increase among the youth and juvenile gangs have been formed in different areas within our society. They also point out to the fact that the act has been on the increase in females more than it has been on males. As such, being that there is a rise in hooliganism and creation of gangs among the youth, media has been at the forefront in making it a concern in our society. In fact, most newspapers have come forward to ask for people’s opinion on the solutions to the rising problems among the youth. Levinsen & Wien (2011) also echo the sentiments regarding the stereotypes that have been associated with the youth representation by the media. In their research, they analyze the Danish newspapers published from 1953 to 2003. In their findings, they cannot corroborate a propensity towards the mounting negative media portrayal regarding the youth. Their data indicate more neutral portrayals and a rise in the news items quoting the youth.
Based on the previous researches on the perceptions with regard to the representation of the youth by the media, there is no valid evidence to support or invalidate the accusations related to the youth representation by the media. Nonetheless, most researches have highlighted the need for more studies on this particular topic. In fact, most studies that have been done have supported the fact that the media has overstated or focused more on the negative portrayal of the youth by linking the youth to aspects such as crime and immorality (Levinsen & Wien, 2011). In this regard, this study seeks to challenge the fact that media has focused on the negative portrayal of the youth by analyzing The New York Times from the year 1953 to the year 2003. In essence, this study seeks to prove that the media portrayal of the youth have been neutral rather than biased as most studies claim. Therefore, this study is a longitudinal perspective that relies on data collected over a period of 50 years (1953 to 2003) and observes the same variables to come up with conclusions regarding this matter.
Fundamentally, this study seeks to:
Classify the news subjects in The New York Times based on different common subjects and find the connection between the youth and the news subjects.
To find out whether The New York Times has had a negative or positive representations of the youth over the years or if the newspaper has been neutral on the youth’s representation.
To establish the portrayal of the youth based on individuals, group of youth and the general group of youth.
To establish whether the newspaper has quoted the young people represented in the news items, the number of youth quoted and those that are not quoted.
To establish the number of males and females portrayed in the news items.
To establish the gender that has received the most negative or positive representation by The New York Times over the 50 years.
Methodology
In this study, there were a total of 22 research assistants from the College of Staten Island from a Sunday class of an experimental psychology in Social/Personality. The New York Times newspaper was chosen for the study; the 22 research assistants examined, read through and analyzed The New York Times papers and pulled all the articles with age range or key terms from the year 1953 to the year 2003.
The New York Times was chosen because of its consistency in the kind of news and information it has provided over the years, its good reputation of being unbiased, its reliability, its credibility, being a national and international newspaper and the fact that it is famous and well known by people all over the world (Puglisi, 2011).
Within the 50 year period, the years were strategically chosen which included 1953, 1963, 1973, 1983, 1993 and 2003 replicating Levinsen & Wien (2011). These years were chosen because of the significance of the period as far as cultural and social changes are concerned. The short periods are not able to record accurate results because of the ever-changing cultural and social aspects of the lives of the youth which means that conclusions based on data collected within a short period are not accurate and are simply based on the informal data obtained. Also, the selection of the years was influenced by the limited time and resources.
The coding of the articles was based on the key terms indicated by the news topics which included: crime, culture, sports, education, politics, social, ethics, accident, labor, family, international, health and other news. During the analysis of the newspapers, the numbers of Youth mentioned in the news topics were recorded in a table form together with the percentage indicating the percentage of Youth mentioned in the news items each year. Further, coding was based on positive news, negative news or neutral news, individual or group news, news where the youth were quoted and those that they were not quoted, and finally the gender affected by the positive or negative news. Also, the percentage of the Youth mentioned in each of these items or topics were recorded.

Results
Table 1: Data representing the number of teens, adolescents and Juveniles, each year, included in the analysis
1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 All Years
Teen 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 60
100%
Adolescent 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 60
100%
Youth 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 60
100%
Juvenile 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 10
25% 60
100%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 2: The number of youth represented in the different news items each year. The percentages are calculated out of the total number of youth included in the analysis.
1953
1963
1973
1983
1993
2003
All Years
Crime 18
45% 13
32.5% 13
32.5% 24
60% 16
40% 12
30% 96
40%
Culture 2
5.0% 1
2.5% 7
17.5% 10
25% 2
5% 3
7.5% 25
10.4%
Sport 0
0% 1
2.5% 1
2.5% 1
2.5% 3
7.5% 4
10% 10
4.2%
Education 2
5.0% 2
5% 4
10% 2
5% 0
0% 6
15% 16
6.7%
Politics 4
10% 2
5% 2
5% 2
5% 2
5% 2
5% 14
5.8%
Social 4
10% 10
25% 5
12.5% 0
0% 3
7.5% 5
12.5% 27
11.3%
Ethics 0
0% 3
7.5% 0
0% 1
2.5% 2
5% 0
0% 6
2.5%
Accident 1
2.5% 0
0% 1
2.5% 0
0% 2
5% 0
0% 4
1.7%
Labor 1
2.5% 3
7.5% 1
2.5% 0
0% 2
5% 0
0% 7
2.9%
Family 4
10% 1
2.5% 1
2.5% 0
0% 3
7.5% 2
5% 11
4.6%
International 1
2.5% 1
2.5% 0
0% 0
0% 1
2.5% 0
0% 3
13%
Health 2
5% 2
5% 5
12.5% 0
0% 4
10% 6
15% 19
7.9%
Other 1
2.5% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 0
0% 1
.4%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 3: Results showing the portrayal of the youth; Positive signifies the number of times the youth are portrayed positively by the media, negative signifies the number of times the youth are portrayed negatively and neutral signifies the number of times the media has been neutral
1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 All Years
Positive
6
15% 9
22.5% 10
25% 5
12.5% 5
12.5% 15
37.5% 50
20.8%
Negative
23
57.5% 17
42.5 23
57.5% 25
62.5% 9
22.5% 14
35% 111%
46.3%
Neutral
11
27.5% 14
35% 7
17.5% 10
25% 26
27.5% 11
27.5% 79
32.9%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 4: The number of times the youth are portrayed by the newspaper as individuals, group, general group or other ways
1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 All Years
Individual
9
22.5% 8
20.0% 8
20.0% 19
47.5% 13
32.5% 8
20.0% 65
27.1%
Group
18
45.0% 17
42.5% 24
60.0% 14
35.0% 19
47.5% 26
65.0% 118
49.2%
General Group
13
32.5% 15
37.5% 8
20.0% 1
2.5% 8
20.0% 6
15.0% 51
21.3%
Other
0
0.0% 0
0.0% 0
0.0% 6
15.0% 0
0.0% 0
0.0% 6
2.5%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 5: The number of times the represented youth are quoted and the number of times they are not quoted while being portrayed.
1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 All Years
Not Quoted 37
92.5% 35
87.5% 22
55% 26
65% 28
70% 29
72.5% 177
73%
Quoted
3
7.5% 5
12.5% 18
45% 14
35% 12
30% 11
27.5% 63
27%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 6: The number of youth represented by the newspaper based on their gender and those whose gender are not mentioned.
1953 1963 1973 1983 1993 2003 All Years
Woman/women
3
7.5%
7
17.5% 3
7.5% 11
10% 2
5% 5
12.5% 31
12.9%
Man/men
12
30% 7
17.5% 14
35% 4
10% 15
37.5% 11
27.5% 63
26.3%
Both Sexes
13
32.5% 1
2.5% 16
40% 10
25% 21
52.5% 23
57.5% 84
35%
Not Mentioned
12
30% 25
62.5% 7
17.5% 15
37.5% 2
5% 1
2.5% 62
25.8%
N 40 40 40 40 40 40 240
Table 7: The number of times the youth are represented either positively or negatively based on their gender.
Woman/women Man/men Both Sexes Not Mentioned Total
Positive
7
22.6% 7
11.1% 24
28.6% 12
19.4% 50
20.8%
Negative
11
35.5% 38
60.3% 28
33.3% 34
54.8% 111
46.2%
Neutral
13
41.9% 18
28.6% 32
38.1% 16
25.8% 79
32.9%
N 31 63 84 62 240
Discussion
According to previous studies, the youth have been portrayed negatively by the media for a long time. In fact, as stated above, most studies have supported this idea of the negative portrayal of the youth and commented on the influence of the media in painting the negative picture of the youth in our society. However, according to the results presented by this study, the majority of the youth are represented in crime news items more than the other news items. Nonetheless, the negative representation of the youth has been changing over the years. For instance, in the 1953 issue, the number of youth represented negatively in crime news was higher than the number of youth represented positively in the crime news. This number changed by 2003 when the issue represented more youth in the crime news positively than the youth represented negatively in the crime news. This is an indication that negative media representation of the youth have been changing over the years and the current situation is slightly different as most news items posits the positive and creative side of the youth rather than just the negative news. Most importantly, it is not entirely true that most youths are represented negatively in news items. In fact, most researches often ignored the fact that youth representation is sometimes neutral.
Also, the number of youth represented in the news items without being quoted was much higher than those quoted. This means that most youths portrayed have no idea why they are represented in that manner, thus, there is no evidence to support the assumptions made by the newspapers regarding the position they have on the youth. As such, most newspapers portray the youth negatively without any evidence to support their assumptions as denoted by Osgerby (2004).
Lastly, male youth are the most affected with these portrayals. Even though the female youth are also negatively represented by the media, most newspapers either portray negatively the male youth or generalize their portrayal by representing the entire youth population negatively in the news items. This brings us to the question of whether the generalization is based on any rational reasoning. In essence, the whole youth population cannot relate to the news items which brings into question the validity and accuracy of the arguments made by the newspapers. Therefore, as opposed to the assumptions and conclusions made by previous studies, the portrayal of the youth by the media is not entirely negative as the studies put it but neutral in most cases.
Limitations of the study
Despite the positive results posted by this study, there are a number of limitations associated with this study. First, only one newspaper, The New York Times, was used for this study. This raises the question whether print media is still the most relevant. In essence, using a single type of media restricts the study to the data provided by the newspaper. This may lead to inaccuracy as the newspaper cannot be entirely accurate.
Secondly, the sample used in the study was small as the samples went only up to 2003 with a size of just 240 articles to read from. As such, the results were not conclusive enough to be entirely relied upon. Thirdly, this being a longitudinal research, conducting analysis leads to practical weakness which lowers the possibility of drawing ultimate conclusions about the results of the study. Lastly, the research assistants used limited inter-coder reliability to discussions of how to code which shifted focus from the main subject of the study.

Suggestions for Future Research
This area of study being important, future studies must pay attention to the following details to perfect or elaborate more on the existing studies. First, the samples used for the studies should be more than one to allow for the comparison of different data to come up with the most reliable and valid data. Secondly, future research should employ more research assistants on the studies to provide more diverse opinions. This will help in coming up with a more balanced and relatable conclusion. Lastly, the number of articles should not be limited. The study should cover a bigger number of articles to provide more diverse results.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this area of study has attracted a lot of studies. This is mainly because of the power of the media and how they have managed to influence the opinions and perceptions of people in the society. Their portrayal of the youth in the society has particularly been a matter of concern considering the weight carried by the data provided by the media. As such, most studies have supported the notions and ideas that the media has portrayed the youth with. However, it is important to note that the negative portrayals have been unfair to the majority of the youth as the portrayals have, in most cases, been general. As such, the results posted by this study disprove these notions that most researchers have had that media negatively portrays the youth. In fact, the portrayal of the youth by the media is neutral.
References
Bessant, J., & Hil, R. (1997). Youth, Crime & the Media: Media Representation of and Reaction to Young People in Relation to Law and Order. National Clearinghouse for Youth Studies, GPO Box 252-64, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001.
Hacking, I. (2004). Between Michel Foucault and Erving Goffman: between discourse in the abstract and face-to-face interaction. Economy and society, 33(3), 277-302.
Hull, G. A. (2003). At last: Youth Culture and Digital Media: New Literacies for New Tmes. Research in the Teaching of English, 38(2), 229-233.
Kite, M.E. & Wagner, L.S., (2002). Attitudes toward older adults. In: T.D. Nelson, ed., Ageism: Stereotyping and Prejudice against Older Persons. Cambridge: MIT Press, 129!161.
Levinsen, K., & Wien, C. (2011). Changing Media Representations of Youth in the News–a Content Analysis of Danish Newspapers 1953–2003. Journal of Youth Studies, 14(7), 837-851.
McCombs, M. (2013). Setting the Agenda: The Mass Media and Public Opinion. John Wiley & Sons.
Osgerby, B. (2004). Youth Media. Routledge.
Puglisi, R. (2011). Being the New York Times: The Political Behaviour of a Newspaper. The BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 11(1).
Stensaas, H. S. (1961). The Front-page Teen-ager: How 11 Dailies Treat Him. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 38(3), 373.
Williamson, H., & Pearson, G. (1983). Hooligan: A History of Respectable Fears.