The project arose out of concern expressed by young people that they are portrayed in an increasingly negative light in the media, with a heavy focus on the small minority of young people involved in crime and antisocial behaviour.
The research concluded that pessimistic news coverage of young people has a negative impact on the way in which adults view them and the way in which young people feel about themselves. It also found that journalists may feel pressurised to write negative stories about children and young people, as they are deemed more newsworthy than positive portrayals.
Young researcher, Emrys Green said, "I have found the media project to be invaluable in learning more on how to conduct research with young people and I have been amazed at some of the responses. The findings provide a very useful insight into the concerns of young people and I hope it will influence change."
