Metro Article

This article is very similar to the article I have previously analysed by The Sun. It shows similar visuals of a youth passing a burning car although this time he is less covered up, which makes him easier to recognise despite the fact that his face is obscured. This image wavers from the general stereotype of the hooded, tracksuit wearing yobs as this time the image captured shows a boy wearing shorts, a t-shirt and a hat which is more common with other stereotypes rather than the 'chav' identity that the rioters were labelled with by the media. The image itself is just as shocking as some of the others shown although it is an ambiguous image - is this youth actually taking part in the riots or is he covering his face simply because of the smoke originating from the burning car? We cannot clearly see what is in his hand and the way in which his other hand is positioned looks as if he is adjusting the scarf around his face so is he being falsely condemned for being in the wrong place at the wrong time? All of these things could be taken into consideration, as the photo presented in The Sun shows a youth fully obscuring his face and body with only his eyes showing a threatening stare; quite a contrast to the image we see here.

The headline itself reads 'Riots: The madness spreads' which implies that the actions taken by the rioters is 'madness' and it is spreading like a disease across the country. 'Madness' itself can be seen as a casual term for a mental disease which holds very negative connotations and suggests that the rioters must have some sort of mental affliction that they are passing on to others around the country.

One of the subheadings states 'Tweeters warned they face arrest'. This links social media websites such as Twitter directly with the riots, which could in turn scare the public - particularly the older generation who are not familiar with social networking - into believing that Twitter is the cause for these riots and therefore should be blacklisted. Much like a lot of the other articles, this one also makes reference to the fact that politicians have cancelled their holidays to come back to Britain and resolve the problems caused by the rioters. This is an example of the media helping the politicians into regaining hegemonic control as they are giving the public a positive representation of the politicians, making it seem as though they are giving up their own time in order to help.