Introduction
Media has great power and potential to influence the behaviors of the people by keeping them informed about any issue and forming their opinions in a particular direction. The media can draw the attention of the general public towards any specific issue by highlighting it more than the others. The news media especially can play more important and defining role in determining the social behaviors and perceptions regarding some particular issues. There are several important social issues that get wide coverage of the news media and this coverage allow the issue to get noticed by the people as well as authorities at different levels. The following discussion aims at discussing the role of the news media in framing one of the important social problem of homelessness. In this regard, the paper analyzes different news features and examines their contents to judge the credibility and authenticity of the provided information and the due coverage given to each aspect of the issue.
Homelessness – A serious Social Issue
The most dangerous intersection and one of the most critical situations, which is now increasing day by day is homelessness. There are many homeless people who are asking for help. These people are in very critical situation and need help. The commission in order to end this homelessness situation has no doubt responded to these pleas along with an unprecedented collaborative and mutual effort in order to provide housing, training and treatment to those people who are in greatest need. But apart from this, the commission’s report itself has also landed on another and a very precarious intersection which is where individual community and behavior’s responsibility cross. What they are doing? What is their responsibility? (Iyengar, 45-90)
This tension often plays a great role in familiar media accounts known as “Big government handout”. Apart from this whatever the weakness or merits of the commission’s plan are, there also exists a great and a huge gap between the policy’s level and the ways for an ordinary citizens in order to understand the critical situations and all the complexities of this issue, so that they can talk with each other face to face and directly about this issue and also to become involved in the creative solutions at the local level. This situation requires a lot of attention and along with this it can easily be resolved by mutual cooperation and by resolving this issue collaboratively. (Cress and Snow, 30-90)
The government plays an important role in solving this issue because they are in majority and they are responsible to solve this issue. Whatever happens to any citizen is the responsibility is of the government so that they can fulfill their citizens each and every single requirement. (Smith and McCarthy, 20-80). According to the 2005-point in the Time study, there were about 10,268 people who were living without shelter in Denver Metropolitan area as of 24th January 2005. While on the other hand, the conventional understanding of homeless is very simple that they are the predominantly single who make and while half of them (over the 5000) were apart of that family who were also having children. (Smith and McCarthy, 20-80)
Apart from all those various factors underlying, their homelessness was also causing a loss in jobs. Their homelessness was also started alcohol/substance abuse, domestic abuse, mental illness, high housing costs and many medical problems. This reality of homelessness is not of only one kind of person or of one type of issue, no. This is a complex tangle of all the circumstances and of all the problems that can’t be fully understand from only one perspective or cannot be addressed through one magic bullet solution. What is really required in order to resolve this situation is a thoughtful discussing amongst a diverse viewpoint, which also offers more than a choice between either/or those options on the policy proposals. But instead they provide an opportunity in order to take it into account the complicated nature of the problem. (Smith and McCarthy, 20-80)
In order to create strategic messages that will for sure resonate with those people who can influence your all issues, it is very much critical to prioritize and also to define your audience like funders, local reporters, state legislators and many more. (Cress and Snow, 30-90) It is very much important to make sure that the audience is also narrowly focused and are also homogeneous enough that you will for sure reach them with only and only one set of messages. Groups like general public or voters are very much diverse and broad in order to consider an audience.
When you prioritize your audiences, then this means that now your audience is only your first priority and now you will only and only focus on them.Frequently, the nonprofits will also identify the media as one of a key audience. This also makes sense that since the members of the media can also actually take your all the messages and therefore can also deliver them to many people than you can do this. If on the other hand you can convince and can force them that your delivered messages are very much important, then as a result the media also becomes a big and great messenger who will also delivers your messages to all other key audiences.
You don’t need to hire any public relations firm or a company in order to do your media relations work and other kind of media work – any intern or any other volunteer can do it if only and only the correct tools and also the correct strategies are used. (Cress and Snow, 30-90)
As with all other different kind of newspapers, one of each single news station has their own assignment editor who is responsible be your initial contact whenever he is trying to obtain event or news coverage. If on the other side you know the name of that individual person, it is also preferable to use that particular name rather than using an addressing in order to fax or email to any assignment editor.
We all have seen those homeless people who are always asking for change, who are always asking for help. But apart from this according to the organization of San Francisco there are many hidden people who are suffering this homelessness problem. We even don’t know them are we all are unaware from this face. Media also plays a very important role in this. Media can bring a change. They should also focus those people who are living without shelter so that each of us can know that what is actually going on around us and then the biggest responsibility if of the government who can actually bring a change. (Cress and Snow, 30-90)
Role of Media in the Framing Homelessness
The issue of homeliness is an important social dilemma that has been discussed in different media very frequently. The electronic as well as print media of the country remains very sensitive regarding the coverage of the issue of the homelessness. It is one of the important social problem that is focused in the news media with due importance. The analysis of the current news media seen shows that the newspapers, online magazines and other news medium use to give due coverage to different issues related with this problem in different sections of their publications or transmission. For example, in the different online news portals like “The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver’s urban weekly, CTV globe media, Straight, The province” and many other news medium this issue is discussed with different aspects.
The news media most of the times cover this issue very deeply. In order to provide deep insight over the problems of the homeless people, the news media often publishes the life stories of the homeless people to let the audience closely observe and feel the real problems of them. Through this type of news stories, the media allow the audience to hear from the people that are suffering from this problem. Wong (p1) tells the story of Gloria Wilson seeking home with her boy friend and describes her feelings and experiences as a great source of inspiration for the other homeless people. The photograph of the homeless couple further adds to the effectiveness of the news story. Chan (p1) also sketches the worst becoming situation of Downtown Eastside Vancouver and informs about the problems being faced by the people and current situation of the activities of the authorities regarding resolution of the issue.
The coverage of the homelessness in the news media is often supported by several statistics that makes the news stories more authentic and noteworthy. Woolley (p2), a reporter of online news portal “Straight” supports the news story by providing the statistics about the homeless people in B.C. The data included in the news story was taken from “SFU’s Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction” that is an authentic resource of information. It shows that the newsmen often search for related facts and figures to provide the audience with better and deep understanding of the issue. Most of the news stories are often supported by the photographs taken of different related spots of homeless. These photographs also allow the news audience to closely experience the information shared in the news story.
The news media is found not only covering the situation of the homeless people by showing their problems but also throwing the light over the measures that have been taken by the government and other authorities to solve this issue. They encourage the efforts of the different organizations authorities by highlighting their efforts to facilitate the homeless. For example, Bula (p1) in Friday’s Globe and Mail informs about the decision of B.C. to buy 700 units for homeless at the eve of the 2010 Olympic Games. In the same way, Mackie (p1) of the Vancouver Sun tells the story about the efforts of the Mayor Gregor Robertson to provide the shelter to the homeless during the cold weather. This coverage shows a very positive attitude of the news media in dealing with the issue of homelessness.
The media doesn’t seems to overemphasize upon the problem but also give due attention towards the measures meant for solving the problem and supports the officials and authorities on showing their intentions to end the problem of homelessness. (Wooley, p1) Pablo (p1) highlighted the facilities provided to the homeless people in form of Vancouver homeless shelters and also informs about the varied opinions of the activists regarding the matter. This type of reporting in the news media keep the people informed about the opinions of the people at both sides of the situation. On one hand, the media shows the steps taken by the authorities for the improvement of the situation of the homeless and on the other hand the media shows how the victims means the homeless view the provided facilities and what are their reservations regarding the matter.
The analysis of the recent publications of certain news medium allow having deep insight over the role of the news media in forming and gathering the opinion of the people regarding different matters related with the issue. The Vancouver Sun (p2) conducted online poll to ask people about the decision of the Attorney-General Wally Oppal to give police the power to force the homeless into shelters. The result of the poll included in the news feature of the publication shows the responses of the general public regarding this matter and allows the authorities and other related people to understand the opinions of the general public about the issue.
Thus, it is observed from the analysis of some leading news portals that the news media is performing a significant role in highlighting one of the important social issues that is being faced by the society including Vancouver. The analysis of the recent coverage of the news media shows that the newsmen use to give proper attention towards almost each aspect of the issue. The recent media coverage is focused upon the situation and problems of the homeless people and this information is well supported by different statistics gathered from authentic resources, photographs and life experiences of the victims. Along with emphasizing upon the actual problem, the news media is also found concerned about the solution of the problem and in this regard the news stories not only describe different measures taken by the authorities to facilitate the homeless but also evaluate these measures and steps on the basis of the opinions of the general people and the activists of the group. There is proper attention given towards the victims and their problems are also described by citing the examples of some homeless people.
The entire discussion can be sum up with the conclusion that the news media seems to perform a very positive and responsible role in the context of portraying one of the important social problem of homelessness. The newsmen are found giving due importance and coverage to each aspect of the issue from a positive point of view. The analysis of the recent news coverage contains no sign of undue criticism upon the government however the negative side of the picture is also unfolded with the help of the opinions of the related people. The media coverage reasonably covers all the parties involved with the issue including the authorities; mayor, government, the victims, the activist, the general public and the social organizations working in connection with the discussed social problem.
Works Cited
Bula, F. (2009), B.C. to buy 700 units for homeless, Web.
Chan, C. (2009), Wanted: New hope on Hastings Conditions in the Downtown Eastside are ‘simply unacceptable’ and it’s time for change, The Province. Web.
D.M. Cress and D.A. Snow, American Journal of Sociology, UChicago Press, 2000
J. Smith, J.D. McCarthy, C. McPhail and B. Augustyn, Social Forces, Jstor.org. 2001
Mackie, J. (2009), Emergency shelters took in hundreds of homeless during recent cold snap, The Vancouver Sun, Web.
Pablo (2008), Vancouver homeless shelters a mixed blessing, Straight, Web.
The Vancouver Sun (2009), Giving police the power to force the homeless into shelters is wrong-headed, Web.
S. Iyengar, The American Political Science Review, Jstor.org. 1987
W.A. Gamson, A. Modigliani, American Journal of Sociology, UChicago Press, 1989
Woolley, P (2008), Mayor-elect Gregor Robertson sets goal to end homelessness, Strainght: Vancouver online resource, Web.
Wong, J. (2008), Vancouver documentary highlights homeless problem, VANCOUVER’S URBAN WEEKLY, Web.