‘The Hidden Voices’ in the Media: Responses from Children, Young People and Their Advocates

This chapter addresses key themes, particularly the consequences of negative media reporting for how children and young people perceive themselves and their peers and the perceived impact of negative representations on advocates and on service provision. Children, young people and their advocates provide first-hand accounts of their experiences of media intrusion and the impact of negative media reporting. The chapter explores the perceived impact of negative media representations on official discourses and on the creation of policy and law, along with perceptions and experiences of the current regulatory system. The analysis compares and contrasts the views of the interviewees and focus group participants regarding the key themes drawn from the literature and those that emerged from the content analysis in previous chapters.