The “Hillsborough Disaster” in Media…

Photo credit: <a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/e_n_gall/14724589427/">Edmund Nigel Gall</a> via <a href=”http://foter.com/">Foter.com</a> / <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">CC BY-SA</a>

For nearly every person being interested in football, the events which happened in England some days ago are of utmost significance. Several newspapers published the caption that there is finally a “justice for the 96”. On 15 April 1989, 96 people died during a football match in Sheffield between Liverpool FC and Nottingham Forest. For several years, the police had blamed the supporters for the incidents. But the remaining family members of “the 96” fought against this version. After 27 years, a court confirmed that the police had to be blamed for these events. According to that report, the supporters were killed due to deficiencies in policing. The 96 supporters of Liverpool FC died because they stood on an over-crowded terrace. The consequence was a mass panic. Now it was decided that the police was responsible for these horrible events.

However, this topic has been present in media over all the years. It is an example how coverage could vary from newspaper to newspaper. On the one hand, the supporters were criticized for their behavior. They were presented as brutal hooligans being responsible for these events. A lot of tabloid newspapers supported this version. But on the other hand, the coverage became more and more critical against the authorities. Some days ago, the court judgement finally brought justice for the 96 supporters. The news has been transported in a very emotional way. In that case, the bereaved family members played a very important role. It was interesting to see how the media dealt with that sensitive topic.