Cohens Moral Panic

This is the theory created by Stanley Cohen who stated media can show people in a certain way which can cause panic in society in  various ways. Things that can cause panic in society are ;

• Concern which highlights a certain groups behaviour as a threat to the public
• Hostility which highlights a person or group in a negative way and creates the persona as a "Folk Devil(s)" and normally the words "us" and "them" are used
• Consensus is the concern of people or a certain group locally or nationwide and there is an acceptance that the person or group pose a real threat to society
• Disproportionality is when the a certain action or group is blown out of proportion to cause more panic
• Volatality is when a concern or worry disappears after it has stopped being reported in the mainstream news

Cohen stated that people of power for example Newspapers can stir up stories to exaggerate the true details to attract more viewers and cause more social panic. Also "Folk "Devils" are often created nationwide by the media which encourages the public to dislike them.