Flick through any newspaper, particularly a tabloid, and you're likely to see a torrent of negative stories about young people. Headline writers crave using words such as "yobs", "thugs" and "hoodies" to describe teenagers and appear to take pleasure highlighting cases where young people have received antisocial behaviour orders.
For three years, Young People Now has campaigned to get tomorrow's generation a fairer hearing through the Positive Images Awards and has gained the backing of government ministers in the process. This week, CYP Now is continuing the crusade with the launch of the 2008 awards.
Britain's teenagers are an easy target for editors. They are commonly regarded as a problem that needs to be solved and articles rarely incorporate young people's views. Research by Mori for the Positive Images campaign in previous years revealed that 71 per cent of articles written about young people were negative, while only 14 per cent were positive. Subsequent surveys showed little improvement.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
