Alternative Viewpoints

The articles Mythbusters and Brighton 1964, I Was There challenge the way in which the Mods and Rockers youth sub - cultures were portrayed and constructed in contemporary newspaper reports. 

Instead of highlighting or depicting the youths that were involved in the events that took place in 1964 as unruly, violent or dangerous, Mythbusters details the extreme exaggeration to which they believe the events were heightened. The article reads, "Easter weekend 1964 was the wettest on record" - Scootering magazine clearly believes that this factor was more significant than the "frenzy" the contemporary media reported the incident as. The article also suggests that the Mods and Rockers were not the perpetrators behind the incident and had very little involvement, stating, "One comment pointed out that it was those NOT arriving at the seaside resorts on two wheels who were most responsible for being involved in any clashes." Scootering suggests that although the Mods and Rockers were not entirely blameless, the majority of the responsibility should be rightfully shifted onto others.

Brighton 1964, I Was There, is an interview with Freddie Freeman who was present during the infamous bank holiday weekend in Brighton. His account of the events that took place are also extremely conflicting with the contemporary reports from newspapers such as the Daily Sketch and the Daily Mirror - a lot of the language that features in those articles depict the youths as animalistic and violent. Freeman offers a different perspective of the events, although admitting "It must have been a bit scary for the older generation". However, he also implies that their actions were misinterpreted for acts of aggression, "...hundreds of Mods running, seemingly rampaging across the beach." Freeman also downplays and claims the destruction and damaged caused during the weekend was fairly limited, "A few stones were thrown, the odd minor scuffle..." Plus, Freeman says that the reason he decided to go was out of "curiosity" which shows that there were no ill intentions, which was most likely the cast for the majority of attendees that day. This indicates that the contemporary reports painted the Mods and Rockers in an extremely negative light and exaggerated the effects of their actions.

The articles Mythbusters and Brighton 1964, I Was There, are more likely to be reliable than the contemporary reports. Contemporary reports' aim was to sell newspapers, which was only achievable if the headlines they published were dramatic and exaggerated. Plus, first hand accounts of the incidents were rarely published, and the images that were printed depicted the youths as harmful and out of control. On the other hand, the articles published in Scootering magazine could also be considered as less than reliable - Mods were infamous for using Scooters as a form of transportation and eventually became a fashion statement for them. Scootering magazine would most likely want to support the sub - culture who popularised Scooters. However, the public would most likely have paid attention to the reports that were perpetuated by the media rather than a first hand account; newspaper reports are more frequent and accessible to the public.

Deviance amplification spiral - is a media hype phenomenon defined by media critics as a cycle of increasing numbers of reports on a category of antisocial behaviour or some other "undesirable" event, leading to a moral panic.

How could the reporting of the events on the south coast as seen as a DAS?
The reporting of the events on the south coast could be seen as a DAS, as although certain aspects of the Mods and Rockers behaviour could be considered as deviant, the media amplified and exaggerated the events which subsequently influenced the public's perception of the youth sub - cultures.