Poor News: Media discourses of poverty in times of austerity

Citation

Harkins S & Lugo-Ocando J (2017) Poor News: Media discourses of poverty in times of austerity. Discourse, Power and Society. London: Rowman & Littlefield.

Abstract
Poor News examines the way discourses of poverty are articulated in the news media by incorporating specific narratives and definers that bring about certain ideological worldviews. This happens, the authors claim, because journalists and news editors make use of a set of information strategies while accessing certain sources within specific social and political dynamics. The book looks at the case of the news media in Britain since the industrial revolution and produces a historical account of how these media discourses came into play. The main thesis is that there have been different historical cycles that reflect particular hegemonic ideas of each period. Consequently, the role of mainstream journalism has been a subservient one for existing elites when it comes to the propagation of dominant ideas.