Full Description
This collection sets about untangling some of the knotty issues in the underexplored relationship between human rights and the media. We investigate how complex debates in political, judicial, academic and public life on the role and value of human rights are represented in the media, particularly, in print journalism. To focus the discussion, we concentrate on media representation of the controversial proposals in the United Kingdom to repeal the Human Rights Act 1998 and to replace it with a British Bill of Rights. The collection is underpinned by the observation that views on human rights and on the proposals to repeal and replace are polarised. On the one hand, human rights are presented as threatening and, therefore, utterly denigrated; on the other hand, human rights are idolised, and, therefore, uncritically celebrated. This is the 'fear and fetish' in our title. The media plays a decisive role in constructing this polarity through its representation of political and ideological viewpoints. In order to get to grips with the fear, the fetish and this complex interrelationship, the collection tackles key contemporary themes, amongst them: the proposed British Bill of Rights, Brexit, prisoner-voting, the demonisation of immigrants, press freedom, tabloid misreporting, trial by media and Magna Carta. The collection explores media representation, investigates media polarity and critiques the media's role.
Contents
Introduction, Eleanor Drywood, Michelle Farrell and Edel Hughes Part 1: Headlines 1. "They Offer You a Feature on Stockings and Suspenders Next to a Call for Stiffer Penalties for Sex Offenders": Do We Learn More About the Media Than about Human Rights from Tabloid Coverage of Human Rights Stories?, David Mead 2. It's Not Me, It's You: Examining the Print Media's Approach to 'Europe' in Brexit Britain, Stephanie Reynolds 3. British Human Rights Scepticism through the Lens of European Newspapers, Lieve Gies Part 2: Features 4. Monstering Strasbourg over Prisoner Voting Rights, C R G Murray 5. Demonising Immigrants: How a Human Rights Narrative Has Contributed to Negative Portrayals of Immigrants in the UK Media, Eleanor Drywood and Harriet Gray 6. Trial by Media: The Fair Trial Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights in the UK Press, Yvonne McDermott Rees Part 3: In-depth 7. Human Rights and Public Debate: The Media as Scapegoat?, Ekaterina Balabanova 8. Careful What You Wish For: Press Criticism of the Legal Protection of Human Rights, Jacob Rowbottom Part 4: Op-Eds 9. Arguing the Case for Human Rights in Brexit Britain, Colm O'Cinnéide 10. Instrumentalism in Human Rights and the Media: Locking Out Democratic Scepticism?, Michael Gordon 11. Magna Carta and the Invention of 'British Rights', Michelle Farrell and Edel Hughes
