News Media Critique: “Crazies in the Streets”
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Cheryl L. Webster
University of Albert, Canada
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Published online November 21, 2005
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Abstract
Media representations of mental illness are powerful and often override people’s own personal experiences in relation to how they view mental illness. Unfortunately, media representations of mental illness are often inaccurate and fraught with stigmatizing attitudes. Drawing from a Canadian example, media coverage of a domestic violence killing and the killing of a Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer by a man with schizophrenia is compared. It is clear that the media has stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness. These inaccurate portrayals influence the generation of public opinion regarding how a person with disability should be treated and our views of how disability should be managed. As consumers of news media we must be aware of the messages contained within the articles and recognize oppressive, prejudicial, and discriminatory content that perpetuates stereotypes and disabilities.
Keywords: Mental illness; Stigma; Media; Disability.
Contact: Cheryl L. Webster (cherylwebster@shaw.ca)
Citation: Webster, C. L. (2005). News media critique: "Crazies in the streets". , 3(2), 64-68.
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