August 2012
What: A survey by Disability Rights UK finds that disabled people increasingly feel the press is discriminating against them, contributing to disability hate crime and abuse, and that the government is behind negative portrayals of disabled people in order to justify cuts. The survey was carried out due to issues raised by disabled people. The newspapers most frequently cited for negative coverage were The Sun and the Daily Mail. Asked what they believed has caused the negative coverage, the top five answers were: ‘government’, ‘welfare’, ‘reform’, ‘DWP’ and ‘cuts’.
Why significant: As the report says: ‘Many respondents clearly felt the press took their lead from Government and held them responsible for the negative reporting of welfare issues.’