{"id":19095,"date":"2022-10-11T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-10-11T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/?p=19095"},"modified":"2022-10-11T12:28:14","modified_gmt":"2022-10-11T16:28:14","slug":"media-coverage-of-homelessness-skews-public-perception","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wordpress-537697-2997182.cloudwaysapps.com\/media-coverage-of-homelessness-skews-public-perception\/","title":{"rendered":"Media Coverage of Homelessness Skews Public Perception"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tips for Journalists to Improve Reporting on Homelessness<\/h2>\n

Nearly\u00a0<\/span>half<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of Americans are afraid of people experiencing homelessness. About 35 percent of those surveyed agree with the forcible removal of people from encampments and other unsheltered spaces. In comparison, 45 percent said, \u201csome neighborhoods are more suitable for shelters than others\u201d\u2014in other words, not their neighborhoods. And 47 percent of people surveyed believe people experiencing homelessness will cause crime in their neighborhoods, even though unsheltered homeless people are more likely to be victims of crime.<\/span><\/p>\n

These misguided opinions are informed by a media narrative that paints people experiencing homelessness as addicted to drugs, mentally ill, and victims of their own choices. That narrative implies homelessness is a result of personal shortcomings, not a systemic failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Oliver lambasted this narrative in\u00a0<\/span>an episode<\/span><\/a>\u00a0of \u201cLast Week Tonight\u201d last October, using clips from news programs and talk shows to illustrate how people experiencing homelessness are portrayed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFar too often, stories focusing on homelessness are presented solely through the lens of how it affects those with homes when in reality, it\u2019s obviously the people without them who need the real help,\u201d Oliver said. \u201cThe story of homelessness in this country is grounded in a failure of perception, compounded by failures of policy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Oliver blamed Ronald Reagan for pushing the notion that homelessness specifically and poverty in general is anything but a public policy choice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cReagan\u2026 came to power at a time when homelessness was increasing, and made the problem far worse by cutting programs for the poor and slashing housing subsidies by 75 percent,\u201d Oliver said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The former president then pushed the idea that homeless people chose their plight.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne problem that we\u2019ve had even in the best of times, and that is the people who are sleeping on the grates,\u201d Reagan said. \u201cThe homeless who are homeless, you might say, by choice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

How the Media Wrongfully Reports on Homelessness<\/h3>\n

The media then reinforces these misperceptions.\u00a0<\/span>The Center for Media and Social Impact<\/span><\/a>\u00a0reviewed television episodes and news articles from 2017 and 2018, looking for mentions of housing-related topics. Researchers found the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

In the most watched TV shows:<\/h4>\n