In a highly one-sided, racist article, Styles (2014) reports about a Rroma who is said to abuse the British welfare system. The article is largely identical to the text of Rawle (2014) from April 3rd of this year, which also portrays the Romanian Rrom Yonn Lazer as a welfare scrounger, who is said to act deliberately and shamelessly. The repetition of the same subject with the same informant makes it obvious that the aim is not objective journalism but stirring up resentment among the readers. Lazer is presented as proof that the British immigration policy has failed and plunges the state into ruin. Objective facts are not mentioned. Instead, the stereotypical, racist notion is spread that all Rroma immigrants are impoverished, poorly educated, and abuse the British social welfare system. In addition, Styles claims that Lazer is in direct dependence of a clan chief in Romania, to whom he has to give a share of all his incomes. This is another popular stereotype about Rroma, which is based on prejudice and not on facts. Through the presentation of many prejudices, the article makes itself untrustworthy, but reinforces resentment among the readership. Styles vilifies all members of this minority by establishing a clear link between ethnicity and social abuse. Thus she makes herself indictable for racist defamation. Right-wing populist views are presented as if they were objective facts. That these are extreme, individual cases is not discussed.
- Rawle, Tom (2014) TV documentary exposes how gypsies are happy to exploit British benefit system. In: Daily Star online vom 3.4.2014. http://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/372609/Gypsies-happy-to-exploit-British-benefit-system-in-new-documentary#comments
- Styles, Ruth (2014) ‘I want to make £40,000 for my family with benefits… and if I don’t, I’ll STEAL the rest’: Roma father reveals plans for new life in the UK (and he’s bringing his sister along too). In: Daily Mail online vom 14.7.2014. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2689100/Romanian-father-reveals-plan-make-40-000-benefits-says-steal-rest-doesnt-work-out.html