The Guardian's coverage of the 2011 London riots progressed as follows: - Initial reports on August 6th described fires, looting and clashes between police and crowds of up to 300 youths in Tottenham following the death of Mark Duggan. - On August 7th, the riots spread to Enfield and Brixton with 55 arrests as the situation remained volatile. Questions were raised about the shooting of Mark Duggan. - By August 8th, there was evidence some rioting was orchestrated as disturbances broke out across London. Police faced chaotic scenes as crowds attacked shops and each other. - On August 9th, masked rioters directly targeted police in Hackney, barricading

1. THE GUARDIAN

2. Q1
What identity is being
constructed for the
British youths shown in
this coverage?

3. „Many rioters conceded that their involvement in
looting was simply down to opportunism, saying
that a perceived suspension of normal rules
presented them with an opportunity to acquire
goods and luxury items they could not ordinarily
afford. They often described the riots as a
chance to obtain "free stuff" or sought to justify
the theft.‟
"Gangs of masked kids popping up
everywhere,"
„I leaned against a wall to tweet and was
suddenly almost knocked over by three youths
riding the pavement on their bikes, their faces
concealed by scarves.‟
"These kids should be back in their yards,"
„A teenage girl was giving them verbal
abuse, and then a crowd had gathered
round and an officer bellowed to a
colleague by the vans to "Get the NATOs
out" - riot helmets. "You should tear gas
their asses," my friend advised a nearby
group of constables. They grinned,
noncommittally.‟
„smashed shops, blazing cars, kids hurling
things at cops.‟
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2
011/aug/09/at-home-with-the-london-
riots?INTCMP=SRCH

4. Q2
How is the newspaper
coverage being
mediated?

5. The perspective
 To begin with The Guardian was covering current storied that had happened
the previous night. The views and concerns expressed from this we5re then
mediated to the world and those reading the paper.
 The first article explains an event, showing images of The Carpetright shop on
Tottenham High Road, north London, in the early hours of Sunday morning.
„The 1930s building was gutted by the blaze.‟
 From this image the idea of a loss it portrayed, the extent of the fires and riots
has been mediated to an audience reading this paper. This emphasises the
extend of fires during the rioting period.
 The text provides the audience to empathise with the owner of the Carpetright
Store as he explains his trauma of loosing this store which has been standing
for many many years.
 To an audience, they are only seeing the perspective of the victim here. A
middle class working man, who has lost a great deal. This enables them to
empathise with the victim through the mediation of his distress.

6. The levels of mediation
The opening statement given The class who are
As an audience, we are forced looting are seen to
in the article acts as a story,
to believe all we are told by be unrepresented,
providing a view point from a
this middle class man, wither they do not have a
person who had a first hand
the story be factual or voice, therefore
experience of the London
fabricated. cannot defend
Riots
themselves or
provide a reason
This statement for their actions.
would be seen as „Night. The smell of smoke, and angry young men
factual from an
audience
moving with makeshift weapons. There are cars
perspective and and buildings ablaze and the threat of violence.
therefore believed I've been here before, so many times. But not
as the actual truth. like this. For years, I have been confronted by
is them mediated such scenes like this abroad: Africa, the Middle
across to readers
who would view
East and the Balkans. But last week it was on my
the events from own high street in Tottenham, a seven-minute
the same walk from where I live.‟
perspective.
The article is seen to be
written from the view point of
From this mediation, the
a well spoken middle class
London riots are portrayed
It is then mediated man. This also mediates
only from those who were
across to readers who across to a reader.
effected and took no part in
would view the events the disruption. The writer is
from the same a victim and mediates a
perspective. fear from walking down the
street.

7. DURING THE RIOTS…
The information was
mediated in a more so
negative
way…much like all
newspapers…only
showing the face value
effects…BUT the guardian
wasn‟t negative as most
newspapers…

8. ALTHOUGH…
The Daily Express went for a
more personalised line:
"Flaming morons". And The
Guardian was altogether more
pedestrian, but less slanted
than its rivals, with "The battle
for London".

9. AFTER THE RIOTS…
Unlike other newspapers the Guardian
studied WHY people took part in the
riots…instead of just labelling them as
animalistic thugs…
On the website you can access “READING
INTO THE RIOTS” which provides users
with information with the background into
the riots not just the face value effects…

12. Look at both sides….

13. Q3.
What identity is being
constructed for the
British youth shown in
this coverage/

14. The Front Cover
The front cover has the
biggest impact as it‟s the
first we see about the
article and gives the
reader their first
impressions.
The image shows British
youth stereotypically as
they have chosen
someone who is wearing
a hoodie, tracksuit and a
mask over their face. The
picture makes us link the
youth to the burning car
in the background, which
implies the newspaper is
blaming the youth. It
also shows that the
youth are violent and
dangerous which can
create moral panic.

15. London Riots
 As we know the riots started because of the
death of a 26 year old shot by police.
 In the articles by the Guardian, they explain
why the riots started and how it was a
peaceful protest, until the youth became
involved. Although the protest started with
people aged 26 onward (the victims family
and family friends all joined the peaceful
protest) the focus of the newspaper was on
the youth and their connection with the riots.

16. Key points from article
Eyewitness reports suggested some of the youths involved-
who numbered between 150 and 300- were as young as
10.” -
From this quote we can see from the start of the incident
the youth were being targeted and blamed for the violence.
“Large groups of youth congregated in the surrounding
streets, armed with sticks, bottles and hammers. Some
wore balaclavas and prevented cars from accessing streets
as buildings were broken into. Other used large rubbish bins
to create barricades across the road.”
Now the article gives more description of the events which
makes the audience more shocked about the youth as to
why/how they could do all these violent things. This quote
also says the youth wore balaclavas which helps us build up
the identity of the youth.

17. Q4
How did The Guardian
reports progress through
the riots?

18. 6th August
A bus, a shop and two An IPCC spokesman said that at
patrol cars have been around 6.15pm on Thursday,
set on fire officers from Trident,
in Tottenham. An accompanied by officers from the
estimated crowd of Specialist Firearms Command
around 300 have (CO19), stopped a minicab to
gathered and there carry out an arrest.
have been reports of "Shots were fired and a 29-year-
looting and shop old man, who was a passenger in
windows being the cab, died at the scene," he
smashed. said.
It is believed that two shots were
fired by a firearms officer,
equipped with a Heckler & Koch
MP5 carbine.
A non-police issue handgun was
recovered at the scene as well as
the police radio.

19. 7th August
Tottenham riot: 'very volatile' situation contained, for
now
Scale of rioting much smaller than in 1985, but for two to three
hours it looked like the police might lose control
Twenty six years on from the Broadwater
Farm riots Tottenham burned in fury again
on Saturday night – 48 hours after the
police had shot dead a man on the streets
in an apparent exchange of fire.
Tottenham in flames as riot follows protest
London disturbances - Sunday 7
August 2011
• 55 people arrested after violence in
Tottenham
• Disturbances spread to Enfield and
Brixton
• 26 police officers injured, Met warn
of social media speculation
• Duggan family condemn violence

20. Second night of violence in
London – and this time it was
8th August
organised
There was mounting evidence on
Sunday night that some of the
second night of rioting in London was
part of an orchestrated plan, as
violent disturbances broke out
sporadically across parts of the
capital.
Shortly after 8.30pm, a crowd of about 100 mainly teenage boys
broke into a jewellery store. When police arrived less than a minute
later, there were chaotic scenes, with a number of people struck
with batons and attacked by dogs.
Doubts emerge over Duggan shooting as London
burns
Initial ballistics tests suggest bullet lodged in officer's radio
during incident in Tottenham was police issue
Looting 'fuelled by social exclusion'

21. Hackney rioters directly target police
9th August
Masked men and women barricade Pembury estate in
largest confrontation of London riots yet
In one of the most shocking incidents, a police
officer in a solitary parked vehicle was
attacked shortly before 9pm.
His windscreen was entirely smashed as a
young man scaled the roof and pounded down
with a brick. Others attacked from the sides
with sticks and bottles.
London fire fighters stretched to breaking point by riot blazes
The resources of London's fire fighters were stretched to breaking point
on Monday night by a series of large blazes causing tens of millions of
pounds worth of damage. Rioters attacked at least three fire engine
crews trying to tackle some of the incidents.
Peckham riots: Looted fireworks hurled at
police
Shops were looted and stolen fireworks thrown at lines of riot police. A
bus was set alight near Peckham fire station, as the area's main
shopping area descended into what locals described as a 'war zone'

22. Who are the rioters? Young men from
poor areas ... but that's not the full
10th August
story
In the broadest sense, most of those
involved have been young men from poor
areas. But the generalisation cannot go
much further than that. It can't be said
that they are largely from one racial
group. Both young men and women have
joined in.
UK riots: London in lockdown, but violence
flares across UK
Riots and looting spread widely across England on Tuesday, with police
waging running battles with gangs in Greater Manchester, the West
Midlands and Nottingham, even as the biggest police deployment in UK
history appeared to have at least temporarily quelled further significant
trouble in London.