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Moral panic neutralization project: a media‐based intervention
Author(s) -
Veno Arthur,
van den Eynde Julie
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of community and applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.042
H-Index - 63
eISSN - 1099-1298
pISSN - 1052-9284
DOI - 10.1002/casp.944
Subject(s) - moral panic , contest , government (linguistics) , public opinion , agency (philosophy) , newspaper , politics , sociology , oppression , criminology , political science , media studies , law , social science , linguistics , philosophy
Moral panics are a major technique used by government in the politics of fear. The central research question addressed was ‘can moral panic be neutralized?’ Researchers formed a coalition with folk devils (an outlaw motorcycle club) in an emerging moral panic to answer the research question. The contest for public support was played out in the media. Results of the action research process are reported using ‘thick narrative’ and included: (1) government calling off its moral panic campaign, (2) a large decrease in public support for the government's campaign against outlaw motorcycle clubs (OMCs), (3) increased acceptance of OMCs in public opinion polls and (4) dramatic reversals in newspaper editorials. The case study illustrates actors in moral panics have agency and provides an example of a macro‐level intervention through which liberation from oppression was affected. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.