The Media's Coverage Of Football Hooliganism

The issue of the media's coverage of football hooliganism is very important as it is the media that help construct the public’s understanding and view of the phenomenon.

Within Britain the tabloid press in particular have found hooliganism to be an easy target for the kind of sensationalist reporting that boosts their circulation. This sensationalist style of reporting often relies on powerful headlines grounded in violent imagery and war metaphors whilst articles are regularly 'edited for impact'.

This style of reporting has developed over the past50 years sparked by the moral panic of the 1950's at the rise of juvenile crime and delinquency. To many, the tabloids’ style of reporting, such as the publishing of league tables of hooligan notoriety (Daily Mirror 1974) serve to encourage hooligans and place them in the limelight.

Nath