Television and the Public Image of Social Workers: Portrayal or Betrayal?

Public attitudes and knowledge about social workers in Israel

“…The public's views often differ considerably from the facts. In the absence of factual information or in the absence of awareness of it, members of the public develop attitudes toward social workers based on their personal experience, rumors, and the media, which often chooses to report sensational and abnormal cases rather than their routine work (Gibelman, 2004). The findings of this survey indicate that while most respondents had reasonable general knowledge about social work (for example, 73.7% of respondents knew that social workers may be employed in the public, third, or business sector, and 74.3% were aware of the professional training required in order to work in the profession), when focusing specifically on their roles the answers were divided.…”

The Perception of the Professional Self of Social Workers in Private Practice

“…The only literature found on the perceptions of the social workers by the public were works by Freeman and Valentine (2004), Gibelman (2004), Schenck (2003), Ungar (2004) and Winston, Stinson and Stinson (2004); this study will hopefully lead to further exploration of this important aspect. The theories mentioned above will be explained briefly in the sections that follow.…”

Social Work and Child Maltreatment Intervention in Disney Animated Feature Films: 1937–2006

“…Conversely, some research has focused on the negative or misleading representations of social workers in entertainment media, given that these images also contribute to public opinions and impressions of this profession and the function it fulfils (e.g., see Andrews, 1988;Freeman & Valentine, 2004;Gibelman, 2004;Tower, 2000). Gibelman (2004) compared the depictions of social workers on television to those of other professionals, such as emergency room personnel, police, attorneys, and judges. Although respecting the required education and challenges involved in these professions, social workers are shown as ''uneducated and bumbling, if not outright laughable'' (Gibelman, 2004, p. 332).…”

“…This is exemplified by the 1999 US program Norm, in which the main character is required to be a social worker as punishment for a crime and proceeds to be what could be the worst social worker imaginable (see Tower, 2000). In contrast, certain television images, such as the 1970s US drama Eastside/Westside, have been found to be positive portrayals of the profession (see Andrews, 1987Andrews, , 1988Gibelman, 2004).…”

“…Associations and professional advocates are concerned with the impact that negative images in news and entertainment media can have for developing policy, receiving funding, and attracting people to the profession of social work (e.g., Gibelman, 2004). Still others are interested in assessing the impact that negative media images can have on the effectiveness of agencies to perform their work.…”