The contradictory position of youth workers in the public sphere

A newspaper clippings collection is a valuable resource for examining many aspects of the representation of issues and people in the media. It can also be used to gauge how people represent their "message" when talking with the media. Among those who convey these messages in the youth field are the major professional and political groups who volunteer (or are sought out for) opinion on youth and youth issues, as well as those who are significantly closer to the young people themselves" the youth workers and others in community and non-government organisations. It is with this latter group that this paper is concerned.