Ageism involves both negative attitudes and behavior toward groups of people based on chronological age
(Funk, 2016). Attitudes and beliefs about older persons are reinforced by stereotypes that are commonly
reflected in the media. For example, images of the elderly and aging often depict older persons as forgetful,
resistant to change, bad drivers, and unhappy. Negative attitudes toward older persons can be detrimental
as they can lead to negative behavior or discrimination. In this assessment, you will apply academic
research to debunk how older persons are often falsely portrayed in the media.
Learning Objectives:
Identify ageism in news media.
Describe how older persons are portrayed in the news in relation to stereotypes.
Analyze the news media portrayal with academic peer-reviewed research.
Apply a theoretical perspective to explain why ageism persists in Canadian society.
Instructions:
Find 1 news story that falsely portrays older persons. That is, find a news item that depicts a stereotype of
older persons that is not supported by academic research. Then respond to the following questions:
Describe the news story in terms of its content and how older persons or aging is presented. What is the
underlining stereotype communicated in the message of the news story? How does this relate to ageism?
Using the Bow Valley College RGO Library Database, search for 1 academic peer-reviewed journal article
that ‘debunks’ the stereotype (2010 to present). Present evidence from the research that suggests the news
story is not supported by academic research.
Reflecting on the news story, use one of the theoretical perspectives explaining ageism outlined in Chapter
2 of the textbook (p. 40-45) to discuss why ageism persists. Based on the theoretical analysis, how could ageism be reduced?
Sample Solution
