Britishness and the Media. Evaluation of the role of news media in creating, reinforcing or challenging notions of Britishness and belonging

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, grade: B+, University of Abertay Dundee (Social and Health Science Department), course: News, Truth and Power, language: English, abstract: This essay will present how the media defines Britishness by reporting about non-Britishness and stereotypes. Firstly, the terms media, culture and Britishness will be described and discussed. Secondly, examples for stereotype-creation and stereotype-use in the media will be given and explained.
Britishness is a flexible and dynamic concept. The understanding of Britishness differs, different definitions are applied. Britishness and understanding Britishness are influenced by several factors, such as social structure, history, culture and the media. Despite that, the concept is often used by politicians and the media as an exclusionary force. The media often present Britishness by showing everything that is ¿supposed to be¿ non-British. The following analysis will show that mainly immigrants, people of colour (POC) and Muslims are in the focus of the discourse.