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How has this story generally been portrayed in the media? Can we generalize it?
Who are the ‘heroes’? Who are the ‘villains’? Who are the ‘victims’? Why?
The majority of the news articles within Module 5 do not support France’s plan to
reform pension rights and increase the age of retirement. Some of the articles,
such as BBC News, focus solely on information rather than opinions. None of the
articles I viewed appeared to be in support of the government’s proposal.
Because nearly all of France’s citizens oppose this plan, I think it is safe to safe to
say that nearly everyone is being affected by this situation. The ‘heroes’ of this
article would be those that are participating in union strikes, rallies, and protests.
It is estimated that over 1 million people will be participating in these protests,
therefore, there are over 1 million heroes. The ‘villains’ in these articles would be
those involved with France’s government, such as President Emmanuel Macron
and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, that support this movement. The ‘victims’
would be the citizens of France, specifically those that are close to retirement.
Those with poor health or labour-intensive jobs are some of the populations that
will be impacted the most. Other issues, such as school closures, electricity
reductions, and flight cancellations impact employees and those that use these
services.
What are the key elements of the stories? What are some of the less-prominent
undertones?
The key element of these articles is that the French generally oppose the
government’s plan to reform pension rights and increase the age of retirement.
Most of the articles surrounding this issue are quite negative, as they focus on
the negative impacts of not only the government’s plans, but the strikes and
protests as well. For example, if the strikes continue, there is the risk of gas
stations not being able to temporarily supply fuel to customers. These articles
also stress that some populations are more likely to suffer than others, such as
those with chronic pain. What I did notice, was that some articles did not provide
any reasoning as to why these plans must occur. Although some articles claim
that this decision was made for the economy’s sake, I wonder if they considered
other ideas as well. I also noticed that a few of the articles stated that the French
were being criticized for being “lazy†because of their request to retire at 62.
These articles then explain that the French are some of the hardest workers in the
world, therefore, they deserve to retire at 62.
Who were the sources quoted in the article? Whose voice was amplified by this
story? i.e. Did they get quotes from politicians, and if so, were they from one
party or were there quotes from both parties? Were police agencies quoted, and if
so, was there a response from a protestor, organizer, or sympathizer?
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