The deputy editor of the Leicester Mercury joined a panel of journalists, editors and police in a debate on how the nation’s youth is portrayed by the media.

Jeremy Clifford was one of the journalists attending the event called Britain’s Youth: Good, Bad or Just Indifferent? at the Festival of Science.

The debate, held at the University of Leicester, gave youngsters the chance voice their opinions on how they believe they are depicted in newspapers and on television.

Before the event, Jeremy said: “It is a fact that young people tend to be portrayed in a negative light by some sections of the media.

“They will tend to concentrate on the small minority of young people who give their generation a bad image.

“However, there is a huge difference in the way the local press and media report on young people and their achievements.

“The local media portrays young people in context, where as the nationals seize upon the extreme cases.

“A good example is the difference in how GCSE and A-Level results are reported. Nationals may just focus on the debate that exams are getting easier but local papers will have pages of celebration whilst also acknowledging the nationals’ debate.”

The Festival of Science debate was chaired by the Guardian’s Gary Young. Following presentations on how the media portrays young people there was a panel debate involving police, the British Youth Council and Jeremy, followed by an open discussion.

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