Eileen Devaney and Tom Best of the UK Coalition Against Poverty

BY HANNAH UPTON

Postgraduate journalism students have been asked to consider how they should tackle reporting poverty.

Eileen Devaney and Tom Best from the UK Coalition Against Poverty told a group of UCLan students the media often distorts and sensationalises the issue.

Eileen said tabloid newspapers frequently imply that benefit claimants are lazy or lead a luxurious lifestyle. 

“Portrayals of ‘benefit fiddlers’ and ‘scroungers’ in soaps and television programmes like the Jeremy Kyle Show and Shameless do not help either ,” she said

Such stereotyping was one reason why the poor are often reluctant to speak to journalists which results in one-sided reporting.

More objective reporting would give the poor a voice and help fight the social stigma surrounding the issue, said Tom. He pointed out that one fifth of the UK population live in poverty and Britain’s child poverty record is the worst in Europe.

Postgraduate newspaper journalism student Adam Lord said: “Poverty makes you think of Third World countries and how fashionable it has become for celebrities to adopt children and front charity campaigns.  You don’t think about people in this country.”

“How we report is an important question and ties in with our ethics workshops,” said Delwyn Swingewood course leader MA/PG Dip Newspaper Journalism.

The UK Coalition Against Poverty has been speaking to working reporters and student journalists around the country. The coalition’s work is backed by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Media Trust and the Society of Editors.

Reporting povery in the UK: A practical guide for journalists by veteran journalist David Seymour can be downloaded from www.jrf.org.uk/reporting-poverty