SOCIOLOGY OF MEDIA

SO 4033
PROJECT 2 (b)
RESEARCH PROPOSAL: TELEVISION COVERAGE
AND PUBLIC BELIEFS CONCERNING SOCIAL
EXCLUSION IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND

KAREN KIELY
0643564
DIGITAL MEDIA DESIGN

LECTURER: DR. EOIN DEVEREUX

TUTOR: MS. JOAN ENRIGHT
 THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
CONTENTS
• The Active Audience
• Social Exclusion
• Selecting Audience Groups
• Research Methodologies
• Analysis
• Media Genres
• Benefits
• Reference List
 THE ACTIVE AUDIENCE
The term active audiences is described as audiences which “have a mind of their
own” who “inject their own meanings into media messages that they receive”. (Student
Media Services 2006) Audiences are 'active readers' as opposed to 'passive recipients' of
media messages. (E. Devereux, personal communication, Nov 2006)

The focus on active audiences applies greatly to this research proposal. Media
producers' practice of encoding messages often affects the manner in which an active
audience perceives a message. The interpretation of certain messages by the audiences
can often lead to incorrect judgements on various topics including social exclusion. It is
effective, therefore, to take into account how media producers and active audiences go
about encoding and decoding messages relating to this topic.

SOCIAL EXCLUSION

To be socially excluded one is “deprived from social recognition and social

value”. Put another way, social exclusion means “the alienation of certain people within a
society.” Social exclusion is often connected to a person's “social class, educational status
and living standards”. (Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 2007)

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH SOCIAL EXCLUSION

Individual Factors:
Community Factors:

Unemplyoment High
level of crime

Dependence on state benefit

Poor housing

Debt Poor
public transport

Poor educational achievements Poor local

authority services

(Radical Statistics 2006)

There are a very broad range of groups in society today that are most likely to
suffer from social exclusion. The poor - more specifically the homeless, immigrants, the
long-term unemployed and the travelling community - make up for a number of the
population in Ireland today.
 The causes of social exclusion trace back to the economic and social changes in economies. As
our society speeds forward to new technological and economic heights, it elevates some people and leaves
others behind. Individuals who belong to underprivileged groups are at higher risk of facing social
exclusion. `
(Canadian Counsel on Social Exclusion) For my research proposal, I would
intend to focus on the unemployed population of Ireland.

SELECTING AUDIENCE GROUPS

Selecting audience groups into whose beliefs and opinions I would research
would require certain factors to analyse. For example, I would consider factors like:
• age
• gender
• regional location
• socio-economic status
Choosing audience groups within the age bracket of 24-60 would be suitable for
this research. Generally, adults have made it into the world of work by the age of 24, if
not before, and retirement usually occurs around age 60. This audience group would have
strong opinions on a topic such as unemployment.
I would focus on both genders for this research though perhaps focus more on the
male audience members due to the high numbers of long-term unemployment in men.
Almost 70% of all unemployed people of Ireland in 2006 were male (Central Statistics
Office Ireland 2006).

Placing more emphasis on urban regions while selecting audience groups would
aid my research as unemployment is more concentrated in disadvantaged areas which are
more often than not inner-city areas.

Socio-economic status is a major factor in choosing audience groups to research.

Certain factors like occupation, education, religion and race can influence a person's
opinions. Using audience groups from a wide cross-section of society would help me
grasp a good idea on how poverty is perceived by the public.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

One research methodology I would use to examine audience beliefs about poverty
and unemployment is analysis of social role and counter-role in soap operas and other
television programmes. I would determine “what kind of roles are assigned for men,
women, the elderly, ethnic minorities, children, adolescents and others.” (Berger 1991,
p.50). Analysing this, I would be able to identify how messages are encoded by media
producers and perhaps how these messages could be decoded by a member of the public.
Another research methodology would be to carry out a survey on audience beliefs
and opinions. First, I would take into account the socio-economic characteristics of the
people I will be interviewing. I will ask questions on audience beliefs regarding poverty.
Hopefully, I would be able to find relationships between, for example, age and
discrimination towards the impoverished, or regional location and personal experiences
of unemployment (Berger 1991, p.38).

Another technique Berger describes is the use of 'focus groups'. This basically
involves interviewing two or more people simultaneously with a moderator leading the
respondents in a free discussion on the topic. The discussion does not aim to build
consensus, rather evoke from each person his or her opinions (Berger 1991, p.91).

ANALYSIS

Following proposing my research, I feel that I would be lead to a number of

conclusions. Taking for example Devereux's case study on the coverage of the funeral of
homeless woman Pauline Leonard, analysing my findings may be similar to this case.
Public opinion on the coverage of social exclusion in the media is displayed in
this case study, as the story 'provoked an amount of reaction from the viewers' regarding
the broadcasting of shots of the homeless grieving. (Devereux, 1998)
Devereux goes on to say that there 'are no set groundrules about filming people
who are poor'. The reporter in question was successful in in 'suggesting to the news editor
that the story be included under the rubric of special features'. (Devereux, 1998) It is clear
from this that broadcasting of socially excluded citizens, at least in 1992, was almost
unheard of and the public were kept at a safe distance from such stories.

Analysing my own research, I would firstly note how media producers encode,
using my social-role analysis. From my surveys I will get an insight into how the Irish
television-viewing public view the coverage of the socially-excluded and perhaps see
how little or how much the socially excluded are actually shown in the broadcast media.
Hopefully, analysing my research like this will help both my understanding of the
television coverage of social exclusion but also that of the public service broadcaster
RTE.

BENEFITS

There would be a number of possible benefits for the broadcasting organization

RTE following this research.
Firstly, a detailed look into how the active audience perceives the factual
information presented by RTE would help the organization in its presenting of such
information to the public. Due to the wide cross-section of the respondents' sociological
and economical backgrounds, it would be safe to say that RTE would have a firm grasp
on most of the population's opinion.

Furthermore, RTE will be able to focus on its fictional broadcasting content and
how its audiences perceive this in the same manner.
 REFERENCE LIST

Berger, A.A. (1991) Media Research Techniques, California: Sage Publications.

Canadian Counsel on Social Development Social Challenges: Social Exclusion [online],

available: http://www.ccsd.ca/cpsd/ccsd/c_exclusion.htm [accessed 4 Jan 2007]

Central Statistics Office Ireland (2006) Labour Market Principal Statistics [online],
available: http://www.cso.ie/statistics/persons_by_sex_ecstatus.htm [accessed 4 Jan
2007]

Devereux, E. (1998) Devils and Angels: Television, Ideology and the Coverage of
Poverty, Luton: University of Luton Press.

Radical Statistics (2006) Measuring Social Exclusion: A Lifespan Approach [online],

available: http://www.radstats.org.uk/no076/mccrystaletal.htm [accessed 4 Jan 2007]

Student Media Services (2006) AcademicDB [online], available:

http://www.academicdb.com/active_audiences_have_a_mind_their_own_they_inject_11
676/ [accessed 4 Jan 2007]

Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., (2007) Social exclusion [online], available:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_exclusion [accessed 4 Jan 2007]