Bilden av den ostyrige ynglingen i media
en stereotyp?
MediaUngdomsbrottslingarStereotyperDiskursanalysEtnicitetSocial problems and welfareNational insuranceSociala problemSocial välfärdSocialförsäkringLaw and Political Science
The purpose of this study was to examine how a local newspaper, Landskrona Posten, describes the youth that commit crimes. More specifically the aim was to see what kind of discourse the newspaper had about the young criminal and to see if that picture could create and confirm stereotypes. The theory and method used in the study is a discourse analysis. The study was based on nearly seventy articles that were published in Landskrona Posten in 2006. Three items were identified in the newspaper's description of the youth. These were a focus on ethnical belonging, the gang and the ruthless violence. As a conclusion, the local newspaper tends to describe the young criminal as a man with an ethnical belonging other than the "Swedish". This might give the readers the impression that it is the youth's ethnical background that causes criminality, instead of for example social factors. This stereotype could involve social consequences both for the youth himself and for ethnical minorities in Sweden. As future social workers, it's important to be conscious about stereotypes to avoid social work that is based on stereotyped assumptions.