How did the media perform during the riots that broke out in several cities across England in August? Did newspapers report fairly? Was the TV coverage truly balanced? Were journalists guilty of provoking trouble? These are just some of the questions that are set to be discussed in a major conference on Saturday week called "Media and the riots." The organisers are bringing together young people from the riot areas with media practitioners in the hope of learning lessons about the nature of the coverage. One key area for discussion will be claims that reporters on the ground failed to interview enough of the people involved. Were the voices of the rioters and looters themselves reported? There is also a belief among many black people, particularly young ones, about stereotyping and bias. Perhaps the most interesting question of all is how the incident that started it all - the fatal shooting by police of Mark Duggan in Tottenham, north London - was initially reported so inaccurately. Was that the fault of the media or poor police PR? And was that error a key reason for the sparking of the disturbances? "Significantly, foreign coverage of the disturbances was much more balanced than British reporting in terms of the images used, analysis and breadth of interviewees," writes Marc Wadsworth, editor of the-latest.com , the citizen journalism website that is helping to organise the event. Among the speakers will government adviser Professor Gus John, Dr Mariann Hardey of Durham University, David Hayward of the BBC college of journalism, NUJ president Donnacha DeLong and Guardian columnist Hugh Muir It is being held at the London College of Communication ( map here ) on Saturday 26 November, running from 10am to 3pm. More details : The-Latest.com Media events and conferences UK riots Police Communities Young people Crime Gangs Roy Greenslade guardian.co.uk © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds