Counter-Discourse Activism on Social Media: The Case of Challenging "Poverty Porn" Television.

In this paper we investigate how online counter-discourse is designed, deployed and orchestrated by activists to challenge dominant narratives around socio-political issues. We focus on activism related to the UK broadcast media's negative portrayal of welfare benefit claimants; portrayals characterised as "poverty porn" by critics. Using critical discourse analysis, we explore two activist campaigns countering the TV programme Benefits Street. Through content analysis of social media, associated traditional media texts, and interviews with activists, our analysis highlights the way activists leverage the specific technological affordances of different social media and other online platforms in order to manage and configure counter-discourse activities. We reveal how activists use different platforms to carefully control and contest discursive spaces, and the ways in which they utilise both online and offline activities in combination with new and broadcast media to build an audience for their work. We discuss the challenges associated with measuring the success of counter-discourse, and how activists rely on combinations of social media analytics and anecdotal feedback in order to ascertain that their campaigns are successful. We also discuss the often hidden power-relationships in such campaigns, especially where there is ambiguity regarding the grassroots legitimacy of activism, and where effort is placed into controlling and owning the propagation of counter-discourse. We conclude by highlighting a number of areas for further work around the blurred distinctions between corporate advocacy, digilantism and grassroots activism.

Step 9: discourages nonreligious circumcision of the newborn: the coalition for improving maternity services:.

Step 9 of the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care discourages nonreligious circumcision of the newborn. The rationale for compliance and systematic review are presented.

Step 5: has clearly defined policies, procedures for collaboration, consultation, links to community resources: the coalition for improving maternity services:.

Step 5 of the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care ensures that the hospital, birth center, or home birth service has clearly defined policies and procedures for collaborating and consulting with other maternity services and for linking the mother and baby to appropriate community services during both the prenatal and the postpartum periods. The rationales and evidence in support of this step are presented.

Step 3: provides culturally competent care: the coalition for improving maternity services:.

Step 3 of the Ten Steps of Mother-Friendly Care insures that women receive care that is sensitive and responsive to the specific beliefs, values, and customs of the mother's ethnicity and religion. The rationale for this step and the evidence in support of its value are presented.