"Media representations favour those with power at the expense of those without”. To what Extent do you think this statement is true?

Media representations are initially how certain people, genders and race are represented in the media. Through the cultivation theory, we can see that when we are repeatedly exposed to the same text/representations, as audiences we tend to accept that these representations are true, and soon enough they become our expectations of specific people. The elite are predominantly in control of the media and consume most of it and therefore are able to ‘inject’ their hegemonic values through the hypodermic needle theory. Inevitably, this suggests that the media do in fact favour those with power at the expense of those without.

During the 1950s there was a rise in ‘raw portrayals’ of the British public, and this was the first time that society had seen issues about ‘real people’ on their TV screens. Before this, entertainment programs where mostly of the comedy genre, dramas about real life only started to rise after the Second World War. This was because the public had seen the devastation the war had caused first hand. Also during the war, the government who were the elite weren’t supported as much beforehand. Shows such as Coronation Street during the 1960s conformed to the issues that societies were facing, they also had the typical British accent rather than the posh accent people were used to hearing. Although most of these representations of the general public were negative, as they were shown to live in working class environments and they faced problems with money, they were also liberating. People preferred to see what other people like them were facing, it was a sense of escapism from their own problems.

However their liberating aspects didn’t make it favour those who aren’t the elitist. The raw portrayals of society still portrayed the flaws of those who aren’t apart of the elite.