A joint report, “After the Riots: Building the Foundations for Social Cohesion,” has been published in response to the violent unrest across the UK in 2024. The main aim of the report is to analyse the causes of the disorder and provide policy recommendations to strengthen social cohesion and prevent future unrest. The report was published by British Future, Belong, and Together and authored by experts from these organisations.
The report highlights key concerns about the growing breakdown of social cohesion in the UK, emphasising the erosion of trust between different groups and the weakening of shared societal bonds. The principal causes include socio-economic inequality, rising racial and religious tensions, the spread of misinformation through online platforms, and the lack of a cohesive national strategy to address these challenges. Additionally, structural issues such as poor handling of asylum accommodation and the disengagement of local governance have contributed to social fragmentation, exacerbating divisions across communities.
The report is less clear, however, about how the breakdown of social cohesion in the UK is influenced by structural changes in the media economy, which are disruptive and antithetical to good civic governance and social cohesion. Unfortunately, there is no discussion about the concentration of media ownership that has led to the homogenisation of content, limiting diverse perspectives and marginalising local voices. It would be useful to acnowledging that as local media production diminishes, communities across the UK have lost platforms for shared narratives and civic engagement. Internationally managed social media platforms, while widespread, often prioritise global trends and transactional communication over meaningful local interactions that foster understanding and belonging.
This shift undermines the role of the media in promoting both bonding social capital (strengthening ties within homogeneous groups) and bridging social capital (connecting diverse groups). Bonding capital supports trust within communities, while bridging capital promotes cross-community understanding, essential for social cohesion. The current media model, which does not get explored in this report, focuses on efficiency and profit, and typically neglects the social capital roles and function of local media, thereby weakening civic dialogue and exacerbating fragmentation. Without platforms that prioritise community engagement, the media’s capacity to support a well-informed and connected public—crucial for democratic governance and social resilience—diminishes.
Mainstream and commercial media are increasingly diluting their sense of social responsibility, shifting away from their role as a public service to citizens and residents. This erosion of purpose leaves people more vulnerable to globalised media, which is regularly propagandistic and misinforming. Despite this, accountability for negative social outcomes rarely falls on media providers, who are considered offering independent, neutral services. Their strength in shaping public discourse means policymakers frequently avoid interference, allowing these platforms to influence debates with minimal scrutiny, exacerbating divisions in society.
The concerns about social cohesion raised in this report can help guide community media efforts in addressing fragmentation across the UK. Here are key areas where community media, including community radio and newspapers, can contribute:
- Promoting Social Contact: Community media can foster dialogue across different groups, addressing the report’s call to increase contact between people of different backgrounds. Programmes that feature diverse voices help break down stereotypes and foster mutual understanding.
- Countering Misinformation and Hate Speech: The report stresses the role of online hate speech and misinformation in fuelling violence. Community media, with its grassroots orientation, can actively counter misinformation by providing accurate, locally relevant content that promotes truth and transparency.
- Engaging with Marginalised Groups: Local media can provide platforms for asylum seekers, minority groups, and marginalised communities to share their stories and engage in public discourse, addressing one of the report’s concerns about increasing societal divisions.
- Supporting Community Resilience: Through inclusive narratives and community engagement, media can help rebuild trust in democratic processes and local institutions, as recommended in the report. By creating spaces where communities feel heard and valued, media contributes to long-term social cohesion.
- Localised Solutions to National Issues: Since social cohesion requires local action, community media can lead conversations tailored to the unique challenges of specific regions, aligning with the report’s recommendation for local councils to develop cohesion strategies.
By amplifying local voices and fostering inclusive conversations, community media plays a crucial role in addressing fragmentation and building resilient, connected communities.
What is the Role of Media?
The report identifies media as playing a key role in both fuelling and mitigating social unrest, particularly through the spread of misinformation and hate speech. It emphasises the responsibility of social media platforms to manage harmful content and calls for the government to pressure these platforms to remove illegal content. Additionally, the report suggests that media outlets, including community-based forms, can promote social cohesion by fostering dialogue and countering divisive narratives that contribute to social fragmentation.
The report hardly mentions legacy or traditional forms of media, but implies that all media, including traditional outlets like newspapers and broadcast media, can play a constructive role in fostering social cohesion. It highlights the importance of responsible reporting, balanced narratives, and amplifying voices that promote unity rather than division. Traditional media is encouraged to counter misinformation, foster informed public debate, and provide accurate, inclusive stories that build shared understanding across different societal groups.
How Can Participatory Media Contribute?
Taking each policy recommendation in turn, it’s possible to make a set of coherent policy recommendations that indicate how community-run participatory media projects and platforms can support these initiatives.
Recommendation 1: National and Local Social Cohesion Strategies
Participatory media can serve as a local forum for communities to engage with the development and implementation of social cohesion strategies. By facilitating discussions, sharing stories, and offering platforms for diverse voices, these media can ensure that cohesion strategies are grounded in the lived experiences of community members. They can act as a bridge between policymakers and local communities, ensuring transparency and fostering collaboration.
Recommendation 2: Local Social Cohesion Strategies
Community-run media can empower local residents to actively engage in creating and delivering social cohesion strategies by providing a platform for open dialogue, feedback, and collaboration. Participatory media can also enhance awareness of local issues and encourage initiatives to bridge divides by fostering discussions between different community groups, local authorities, and civil society organisations.
Recommendation 3: Asylum and Refugee Accommodation
Participatory media can give a voice to asylum seekers and refugees, helping them share their experiences, humanise their narratives, and reduce community grievances. Local media initiatives can also work closely with councils and service providers to inform communities about the realities of asylum and refugee accommodation, dispelling myths and fostering a more welcoming atmosphere. This proactive engagement can prevent the build-up of tensions around these accommodation sites.
Recommendation 4: Social Media and Online Hate Speech
Community-run media can counter the effects of online hate speech by offering alternative, positive narratives that reflect the diversity and richness of local communities. By encouraging inclusive storytelling and providing accurate information, these media platforms can mitigate the spread of misinformation and extremist content. Additionally, participatory media can serve as a hub for media literacy education, helping community members critically engage with online content and recognise misinformation.
Hands-on experience in producing and sharing content within a community context offers significant benefits, establishing participatory media as a trusted, valued resource within and between different communities. By creating content that reflects local identities and concerns, community media can bridge divides, enhance dialogue, and foster trust. Furthermore, this process strengthens media literacy, enabling participants to critically assess media, challenge misinformation, and engage with content creation. This accumulation of social capital not only supports social cohesion, but also empowers individuals to be active, informed citizens.
Recommendation 5: Defining Anti-Muslim Prejudice and Extremism
Participatory media can provide platforms for open and respectful dialogue about any specific religious or faith group, and the prejudice and extremism they may face, helping communities better understand these issues. By involving faith groups, civil society organisations, and community members in content creation, community media can facilitate educational campaigns that foster empathy and challenge stereotypes. This process can build local consensus on what constitutes prejudice and extremism, while promoting interfaith dialogue and community resilience.
Recommendation 6: Restorative Justice Programmes
Community media can support restorative justice by amplifying the voices of those impacted by violence, such as marginalised and economically deprived people, and creating spaces for dialogue between offenders and the broader community. By producing and sharing stories about these restorative efforts, participatory media can humanise both sides, highlight reconciliation efforts, and promote healing. This approach not only enhances social cohesion, but also educates the public on restorative justice as a constructive solution.
Recommendation 7: Enhancing Media Literacy for Children and Young People
Community media can partner with local schools and youth groups to develop critical thinking and media literacy skills in young people. By involving students in media production, they gain hands-on experience in creating content and learning how media works, which strengthens their resilience to misinformation and extremist narratives. These programmes not only educate youth, but also engage them as active participants in shaping local conversations, making media literacy a crucial asset for fostering social cohesion.
Recommendation 8: Social Contact Between Diverse Backgrounds in Schools
Community media can create opportunities for students from different ethnic, faith, and class backgrounds to collaborate on media projects. These initiatives can promote understanding and reduce prejudice through shared experiences in storytelling, interviews, and documentaries. By linking schools or community groups from different areas, participatory media fosters long-term relationships that bridge divides and create a sense of shared identity, directly supporting efforts to enhance social cohesion.
Recommendation 9: Community-Based Conflict Resolution and Social Contact Initiatives
Community media can be a platform for conflict resolution by encouraging dialogue and facilitating programmes that bring together diverse groups. Media projects that focus on local narratives and positive social interactions can foster deeper social connections, bridging divides across ethnic, faith, and class lines. Additionally, by documenting and sharing the outcomes of these initiatives, community media helps build an evidence base for successful interventions, promoting greater community cohesion and trust.
Recommendation 10: Using Sport to Foster Social Contact and Shared Identities
Community media can collaborate with local sports clubs to create programmes that highlight the power of sport in bringing people together across social divides. By producing content that showcases community events, interviews with athletes, and stories about sports-related social cohesion, participatory media can promote inclusive local identities. Media coverage of sporting events can act as a unifying force, helping to combat prejudice and build connections among different community groups.
Recommendation 11: Promoting Dignity in Work
Community media can play a role in promoting the value of non-graduate jobs by sharing stories of individuals in these roles and highlighting the dignity, skill, and importance of their work. The essential difference is that these stories are made by the people involved, rather than being told by other people who do not share the experiences and concerns of those with a story to tell. By featuring interviews, workplace profiles, and community spotlights, participatory media can elevate recognition of these jobs and challenge negative stereotypes. This content can also help build a sense of pride and belonging, fostering stronger social bonds in areas impacted by economic changes.
Recommendation 12: Rebuilding Trust in Democratic Institutions
Community media can enhance trust in democratic institutions by providing a platform for transparent, accessible discussions about local governance and public decision-making, which is well established in the UNESCO model of community media. By encouraging civic participation and featuring local politicians, councils, and public figures in open dialogue, community-run media can rebuild trust. This approach promotes accountability and ensures that the voices of underrepresented communities are heard in democratic processes, fostering greater engagement and social cohesion.
In conclusion, participatory media, such as community radio and newspapers, can play a pivotal role in supporting the policy recommendations from the “After the Riots” report by fostering dialogue, promoting social cohesion, and countering misinformation. By offering platforms for diverse community voices, educating the public on media literacy, and promoting inclusive narratives, community media can address the root causes of fragmentation. Through localised engagement and collaboration with key stakeholders, participatory media becomes a vital tool in enhancing trust, resilience, and social connections, aligning with the report’s vision for a more cohesive society.
Decentered Media has proposed the development of a Social Cohesion Charter for Community-Focused Media, aimed at promoting inclusivity, dialogue, and local engagement within community media platforms. The charter seeks to guide community media organisations in supporting social cohesion by fostering trust, countering misinformation, and ensuring diverse voices are represented. This initiative encourages community-driven media to play a proactive role in bridging social divides and enhancing public understanding, contributing to a more cohesive society. More details can be found here.