Media staging: the production of a tale of fear Mise en scène médiatique : la production d’un récit de la peur En Fr

Résumé En

While conducting my PhD research that deals with the dark interstices of the city of Nantes in the west of France, I noticed that feelings of insecurity were exacerbated or even created by discourses based on a form of collective fear. Indeed, one of the main topics during the presidential election campaigns in France was matters and events related to insecurity, which was omnipresent in the media landscape when it comes to the night. This pervasiveness conveys patterns of vulnerability and consolidates negative social constructs regarding night and darkness. There is a degree of catastrophism in media and political discourses on urban violence that builds an entire dramaturgy from events observed through the lens of news media, producing distorted perceptions of the urban night. This story-telling shapes minds and distracts attention. It is this narrative, understood as an alarmist discourse, which I wish to deconstruct in this communication, by questioning more precisely the social realities hidden behind the public statistics. I also question the performative dimension of media discourse. The discursive choices bear witness to some power relations that build its object at the same time it defines it. My presentation can be seen as a contribution to question and even to demystify the collective fear of the urban public space at night.