Book Review for Disability and Society in 2000

of

Social Policy, the Media and Misrepresentation
Bob Franklin (editor)
Published by Routledge
Hb & Pb © 1999, i-vi, 287 pp.,
ISBN/ISSN: 0-415-20107-1, Hb £50; Pb 15.99

Social Policy, the Media and Misrepresentation is a well constructed, well edited and a suitably thoughtful and clear academic exploration of the media and how it disables a wide variety of social groups and minorities. The groups, social policy issues and subjects covered range from disabled people, charities and lone mothers to mental health, education and paedophiles. Bob Franklin has somewhat struggled to breakdown the chapter to three sub-categories of: Producing social policy news; The media reporting of social policy; and, The media reporting of social policy: case studies.
The sub-category headings are somewhat redundant as the entire book is more-or-less an entire collection of case studies; and would have been stronger labelled as such rather than having left the reader trying to decipher greater implications that are actually in the book. Having said that the collection, by writers as diverse in their backgrounds as the subject matter covered, is comprehensive and written from perspectives which seemingly are themselves representative. Journalists write about journalism, social work specialists write about social work and a disabled writer writes about disability. One of the advantages of having a collection of essays written by specialist in their own subject is that the writing is as interesting to explore in relation to the actual issues raised. By which I mean, there can often be a limited degree of subject awareness that is critical in a broader sense of the subject as a whole.

The best example of this is the chapters which, in one way or another, look at social work and the misrepresentation and distortions about social work and its practice. Whilst it is true, as various chapters and authors argue, that in relation to child abuse scandals the politics of the reporting is more relevant than the truth; what the authors fail to recognise is the inherent abuse within the social work system against other groups. Groups trapped within a social work system that almost no press/media coverage (i.e., social work with disabled adults and the elderly, for example). Groups whom are left in abusive institutions having been placed their by complicit social workers).

The book is, it is fair to say, an ideal undergraduate text for students embarking on a degree or career within the media or social policy industries. Its deconstruction of the hegemony of normalcy over the broadest spheres of society and culture - and its reinforcement / buttressing of Otherness and deviancy in the mainstream of society. What the book, the collection as a whole, is best at is showing the way in which society disables a vast number of divergent groups other than those with impairments or those traditionally called 'the disabled'. The book, as a whole and in individual essays, does this by showing the way in which various connected social processes work to disempower and marginalise (and oppress) the voice of those affected by any given issue.

David Deacon's excellent piece, chapter 3 (in the 'Producing Social policy news' section) , on the role of charities and their hegemonic status over and above the legitimate voice of the same charities service users, makes the book alone worth buying.

This collection's strength is that it although it is looks at the processes of social policy and the media in particular it also touches on connected elements of social processes. Processes such as legislation, the political process and issues around actual, as opposed to ideal, practice within social policy and the media. For example, David Brindle's essay on what the realities of being a social policy journalist (at The Guardian) are is both fascinating and revealing at the same time as being a cause for deep concern. At least now I know why I never really liked The Guardian.

The only true failing of the book, and the essays themselves, is that no further reading guides are included. Given that it is an ideal text for undergraduates and career starters, an indication as to where to look for essays of more depth and criticism of the particular areas of the essays. Additional chapters giving an indication of the significant problems many academics have around the whole issue of Social Policy and its practical processes would have been useful. The lack of alternative views did leave one with the feeling that apart from the media misrepresentation of social policy (practices included) it was all jolly good and decent - which it is not.

This is not to say that there were not significant problems with individual essay. Some, for example the one by Ann Pointon (on Disabled People's direct action and its subsequent affect on representation), perpetuated some rather naive (or optimistic) notions of the success and status of service users', or minority group member's, voices in the whole debate around Social Policy and its practices.

Dr Paul Anthony Darke

Outside Centre Limited

822 words