Secondary 4 · English · Literacy
Representation in media
Analyse how groups, places and issues are represented in news, film and online media, and whose perspectives are included or excluded.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Explain that media representations are constructed through choices of words, images and sources.
- Analyse how groups, places and issues are represented in news, film and online media, including stereotypes.
- Identify whose perspectives are included or excluded and consider the effect on audiences.
Success looks like
- I can explain why a representation is a construction rather than simply reality.
- I can identify the word choices, images and sources that shape a representation.
- I can ask and answer 'Whose voice is missing?' when analysing a media text.
The big idea
Media texts do not simply show the world as it is. Every news story, film and post is constructed: someone decides who to show, which words to use, which images to include and whose voices to hear. The result is a representation – one version of reality.
Representations matter because they shape how audiences think about groups (teenagers, older people, migrants, people with disability), places (cities, rural towns, particular suburbs) and issues (climate change, technology, housing).
A stereotype is an oversimplified representation that is repeated so often it can seem natural: teenagers as lazy and glued to their phones, older people as confused by technology, a country town as boring. Stereotypes ignore the variety of real people and can affect how people are treated.
Look closely at the construction techniques:
- Words: 'Youths gather at shopping centre' and 'Teens organise charity car wash' could describe the same group very differently.
- Images and camera angles: a low angle can make a subject look powerful; a high angle can make them look small or vulnerable. Who is shown smiling, and who is shown looking threatening?
- Sources: who is quoted? A story about a youth centre that quotes only police and nearby business owners, but no young people, gives a one-sided view.
- Selection and omission: which facts, places and people are included – and which are left out?
Always ask: Who is speaking? Who is spoken about? Whose voice is missing? Groups who are often marginalised may be talked about but rarely given a chance to speak for themselves.
In analysis, connect a technique to its effect: 'By quoting only shop owners and describing the teenagers as "loitering", the report represents young people as a nuisance and excludes their perspective.'
Worked examples
Comparing two representations
Original headlines about the same event: A) 'Gangs of youths take over town square' B) 'Hundreds of students celebrate end of exams in town square'. How is each group represented?
- Look at nouns: A uses 'gangs of youths' (threatening); B uses 'students' (neutral and specific).
- Look at verbs: A uses 'take over' (aggressive); B uses 'celebrate' (positive).
- Consider the overall effect on audiences' view of young people.
Answer: Headline A represents young people as a threatening mob, while Headline B represents them as ordinary students enjoying a milestone. The same event is constructed in opposite ways.
Identifying missing perspectives
An original news report about plans to close a rural bus route quotes the transport department and the mayor of the nearby city. Whose perspectives might be missing?
- List who is quoted: officials and city leaders.
- List who is affected: rural residents, older people who do not drive, students and workers who rely on the bus.
- Consider the effect: the report may make the closure seem reasonable because those most affected are not heard.
Answer: The perspectives of rural residents who depend on the bus – especially older people, students and workers – are missing, so the report gives an incomplete picture of the impact.
Analysing a visual choice
A film shows a new teacher from a high camera angle as she walks into a noisy classroom for the first time. What does this suggest?
- A high angle looks down on the subject, making them appear smaller.
- Combined with the noisy classroom, this suggests she feels overwhelmed.
- Consider how the audience is positioned: to sympathise with her.
Answer: The high angle makes the teacher seem small and vulnerable, representing her as nervous and positioning the audience to sympathise with her.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
What is the term for an oversimplified, fixed idea about a group of people? (one word)
stereotype — Stereotypes ignore individual differences within a group.
Why do we say media representations are 'constructed'?
Because people make choices about what to show, say and leave out — Every representation results from selection and presentation choices.
Which headline represents teenagers most positively?
Teens raise $5000 for local hospital — It shows teenagers taking positive action for the community.
A camera filming from below makes a politician look tall and powerful. What camera angle is this?
Low angle — A low angle looks up at the subject, making them seem powerful.
A report about a new skate park quotes three nearby residents who oppose it and no skaters. What is the main problem?
The perspective of the people who would use the skate park is excluded. — Leaving out the skaters' voices gives a one-sided representation.
Which question is most useful when analysing representation?
Whose voice is missing? — Asking whose voice is missing reveals which perspectives have been excluded.
What word describes groups who are pushed to the edges of society or a text, so their views are rarely heard? (one word)
marginalised — Marginalised groups are often spoken about rather than given a voice.
An advertisement for cleaning products shows only women cleaning. What representation does this reinforce?
A stereotype that housework is women's work — Repeatedly showing only women cleaning reinforces a gender stereotype.
Watch out for
- Believing that a representation is either 'true' or 'false'. Most representations are partial – accurate in parts but shaped by selection.
- Thinking stereotypes are only negative. Even 'positive' stereotypes oversimplify and can be limiting.
- Focusing only on what is shown. What is left out – voices, places, context – is often just as important.
Tips for parents
- When watching the news together, ask, 'Who got to speak in that story? Who didn't?'
- Look at how teenagers are shown in advertisements and films, and ask your learner whether it matches their own experience.
- Keep discussions open and respectful – the aim is to notice how representations work, not to tell your learner what to think.
Go further
- Create two short news reports or posters about the same event at a community library, one that stereotypes young people and one that represents them fairly, then annotate your choices.
- Collect five images of 'teenagers' from advertisements or websites and analyse what they have in common and what is missing.
- Rewrite a one-sided news report so that it includes a missing perspective, then reflect on how the overall representation changes.
About 55 minutes
You'll need
- Exercise book
- Two news stories, advertisements or film clips featuring young people (optional)
- Highlighters
Key words
- Representation
- The way a group, person, place or issue is portrayed in a text through deliberate choices.
- Stereotype
- An oversimplified, fixed idea about a group of people that ignores individual differences.
- Construction
- The idea that media texts are made through choices, so they show a selected version of reality.
- Perspective
- A particular point of view shaped by a person's experiences, values and position.
- Marginalised
- Pushed to the edges of society or of a text, so that a group's views are rarely heard.
- Camera angle
- The position of the camera relative to the subject; for example, a low angle can make a subject look powerful.
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For parents
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