Lesson 2.1: Moral Panic & Media Narratives
In this topic, you will explore how ‘anti-gender’ actors use media to generate fear and outrage around changing norms of gender and sexuality. You’ll learn how emotional tactics - such as sensational headlines, decontextualised images, and alarmist language - frame feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive rights as the existential threats to traditional family, nation, or morality. You’ll analyse how these tactics create ‘moral panic’ and mobilise support for restrictive policies under the guise of protecting children, families, or cultural identity.
3. Case Study: Hungary
In Hungary, the government and pro-government media have played a central role in constructing and amplifying ‘anti-gender’ discourses. Framing ‘gender ideology’ as both a moral threat to children and an external ideological invasion, media outlets closely aligned with the ruling party Fidesz have helped normalise a narrative of cultural siege.
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