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date: 15 October 2008

embargo: 00.01hrs Friday 17 October 2008

TUC calls on media to stop discriminating against the poor

The TUC will challenge the media to stop discriminating against people on low incomes by portraying them as 'scroungers' and 'benefits cheats', at the TUC's annual poverty conference in London today (Friday).

The conference Challenging Povertyism - held on World Poverty Day - will tackle the negative way people on lower incomes are stereotyped by the media, and challenge how the Government communicates with people living in poverty.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'All too often we see tabloid headlines slating people living in poverty as 'benefits cheats'.

'Popular television programmes like 'Shameless' and 'Wife Swap' portray people on low incomes as 'scroungers' and second class citizens, worthy of ridicule.

'But poverty is not a laughing matter. Nearly four million children in the UK - one in three children - are growing up in poverty, and we have one of the worst child poverty records in the industrialised world.

'Contrary to media stereotypes, people on low incomes are not all cheating the benefits system. More than half of children living in poverty have parents in work, but many are caught up in a cycle of low paid insecure jobs.

'The majority of people on low incomes want decent work but are struggling, particularly in the current economic climate.

'The UK has one of the lowest levels of social mobility in the developed world. Negative portrayals of people on low incomes in the media as lazy, feckless, scrounging on the dole and somehow worth less than the rest of society do nothing to help social cohesion.'

The conference will also see the launch of a new report by the UK Coalition Against Poverty (UKCAP) 'Communicating Poverty'. The report discusses how ideas, policies and proposals to tackle poverty could be communicated more effectively to those living in poverty.

It is compiled from workshops with people who have direct experience of poverty themselves; how they talk about poverty, and their views about how service providers, politicians, campaigners and the media can

communicate about poverty better.

UKCAP National Coordinator Eileen Devaney said: 'Today UKCAP is launching a ground breaking report on people's perceptions of poverty in the UK.

'The findings within this report not only highlight the isolation and frustration people experiencing poverty feel, but also prove that many people in poverty want to be involved in the work to end poverty.

'The report contains many examples of community-based initiatives that actively promote inclusion and challenge traditional stereotypes.

'More effective communications are needed to build greater support amongst the general public for efforts to reduce poverty and inequality - the findings from this report will lay the foundations for building those communications.

'The findings will also be of interest to those working on anti-poverty policies, delivering services which are used by those living in poverty, or involved in communicating messages about poverty.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- 'Communicating Poverty' is available at www.tuc.org.uk/extras/communicatingpoverty.pdf

- Challenging Povertyism is from 11am-4pm today (Friday 17 October) at Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS.

- Speakers at the conference include: TUC Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady, Professor Ruth Lister, Fawcett Society Director Dr Katherine Rake (OBE), Compass Chair Neal Lawson, UKCAP Chair Harry Cartmill, Guardian journalist Tom Clark, TV Producer and Director Mike Dick and Professor John McKendrick. There will also be a lunchtime fringe meeting on the Government's Green Paper proposals with PCS Vice President John McInally and GMB Remploy Convenor Les Woodward. For more information please contact Richard Exell on 020 7467 1319 or email rexell@tuc.org.uk

- The TUC is a member of the End Child Poverty coalition. The Campaign to End Child Poverty includes children's and other charities, social justice groups, faith-groups, trade unions, businesses and many others concerned about the unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK who are working together for change. For information visit www.endchildpoverty.org.uk

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
TUC: Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk
UKCAP: Eileen Devaney T: 0151 709 3008 M: 07739 237161 W: www.ukcap.org

Press release (800 words) issued 17 Oct 2008