Why

Modern media and legacy print platforms feed state media, and all are thriving on a diet of toxic judgment and vilification where almost no one is spared.

The voices of the many itemised here – and the many missing – are the very voices most affected by the many global crises, often with the most wisdom about the issues and how to address them.

The following is a snap shot of systemic othering by the media – mostly in the UK, where Media Revolution started, but with a broadening and global perspective.

The current work is to broaden the world lens with awareness and mapping of the global media landscape. We have a team working on this now – let us know if you’d like to contribute.

Disabled people are dismissed as scroungers, burdens or frauds.

A recent report commissioned by Inclusion London and carried out by researchers at the University of Glasgow, found significant changes in UK reporting of disabled people which show a clearly defined increase in stories and views identifying disabled people as ‘undeserving’.

People of colour vilified as threats or outsiders

A 2023 report by the Ethical Journalism Network exposes structural racism within UK media, where stories involving people of colour are disproportionately framed through the lens of criminality, conflict, and exclusion – furthering harmful narratives and societal divisions.

LGBTQIA+ communities demonised and threatened

Reports such as ILGA-Europe’s (International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association) Annual Review 2023 expose how mainstream media contributes to the marginalisation of LGBTQIA++ people, amplifying harmful narratives that frame the community as threats to ‘traditional values’ while enabling misinformation and division.

Vegans and animal rights advocates ridiculed for their ethics

Vegans and animal rights advocates ridiculed for their ethics
A 2011 study in the British Journal of Sociology found that British media routinely discredits vegans through ridicule and portrays veganism as an impractical or extreme lifestyle choice, reinforcing cultural norms around animal consumption.

Gypsy/Roma/Traveller (GRT) families ostracised from society

According to a report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission report “Abusive media coverage and overtly racist statements from local and national

politicians add to the ignorance and prejudice of many members of the settled

population, while those in authority frequently fail to challenge them.” 

Indigenous voices are overlooked and ignored

Despite being nature-first cultures, the wisdom of indigenous voices is sidelined and purposefully minimised. Studies highlight how mainstream media stereotypes indigenous people, and marginalises Indigenous communities, prioritising dominant narratives while ignoring systemic injustices and land struggles.

…the list goes on and on. People experiencing homelessness, working class people, people who are poor, and any people who are considered by the media even slightly different – too many to list. Even celebrities – often created by the media itself as pictures of perfection – are far from immune; elevated to iconic status one day only to be torn down the next, with devastating personal consequences.