Govanhill is a home, not a headline
From tabloid sensationalism to TikTok citizen journalism, how do narratives about a place get shaped, and who gets to shape them? Devon McCole explores digital reporting on one of Glasgow’s most misunderstood neighbourhoods.
By Devon McCole | Photo by John Bowden
Govanhill: passing-through place, gentrified, community-oriented, rubbish-strewn, underfunded, home. Depending on who you ask – or which corners of the internet you’re in – you’ll get wildly different views of the place.
In 2020, Greater Govanhill magazine was launched with the understanding that while Govanhill had its problems, they were often overreported and sensationalised – with little in the way of proposed solutions. At the time, reporting of the neighbourhood was overwhelmingly negative, and frequently focused on crime and related issues, which overshadowed the area’s strong sense of community and amplified public fears. The ambition was to turn the tide on the way the neighbourhood was being portrayed online and in the media.
But why is this the case?
Govanhill has long been an area where new arrivals have settled; the Jewish community escaping persecution from Europe, Irish from Donegal and South Asian people from the Indian subcontinent. Over the years, Govanhill’s newcomers have often become scapegoats for wider socio-economic challenges.
The Irish immigrants who settled in Govanhill were often met with hostility, blamed for overcrowding and poor conditions, and accused of diluting the Scottish identity because of their rural background and religious differences.
A news report from The Glasgow Courier published in 1830 in defence of the Irish that settled in the city at the time highlighted that negativity against newcomers has deep roots: ‘...Let us hear no more complaints about the influx of Irish having a bad effect on Scotland unless it is to do something about tackling the problems which caused the emigration.’
When South Asian communities began settling in Govanhill in the 1950s and 60s, they too were portrayed as a threat to British culture – a narrative that still lingers in political discourse today. There are, of course, many legitimate issues facing Govanhill – including poor housing, littered streets and rodent problems. But when these concerns are raised, especially in unmoderated online spaces, the discourse can quickly slide into xenophobia and outright racism, blaming newly arrived residents for problems common to disadvantaged neighbourhoods across the city. In fact this is a tactic often used by the far right to gain support – simplifying the narrative to suit their aims.
The reality is more complicated. These issues are caused by a web of interrelated structural factors. The streets aren't littered simply because of cultural differences. And if language barriers are part of the problem, shouldn’t we be working to bridge those gaps?
When the EU expanded in the mid 2000s, several Eastern European countries joined, giving citizens the right to live and work in the UK. Many settled in Govanhill – including Roma communities fleeing institutionalised oppression. And yet, even here, they’ve faced discrimination, often blamed for systemic issues.
In March 2019, as part of community consultations within Thriving Places, the Govanhill Community Development Trust, held community conversations around media representations of Govanhill, which was attended by residents from different backgrounds with interpreters at each table.
Marzanna Antoniak, who worked as a community connector for Govanhill at the time, recalls showing the group the first two pages of ‘Govanhill’ search results on Google: “The vast majority of it was utterly negative. Now I think it’s changed. But when I showed those screenshots to people at the sessions, for some people from ethnic minorities, it was a shock. One Romanian man said ‘That’s not true! How dare they say that about my neighbourhood!’”
Govanhill has also become a stage for those seeking online notoriety. One now-infamous account gained attention by filming himself walking through the neighbourhood during lockdown, “braving” the alleged dangers of gangs and grooming.
Govanhill in the news: reports vs. reality
Negativity bias still dominates legacy media. The old, slightly gruesome adage – if it bleeds, it leads – remains true in many traditional newsrooms. But crime reporting, often driven by the pressure to be first and to game online algorithms for ad revenue, frequently ignores the deeper social and economic conditions proven to drive crime: disaffected youth, lack of opportunities, and underfunded recreational or community spaces.
Last year, we did some research into how Greater Govanhill’s work had affected media perceptions of the area from 2020 to 2024. We analysed over 1,700 headlines across 11 publications. From 2015–2019 – pre-Greater Govanhill – just 30 percent of headline words were classed as positive. Most frequently occurring words included ‘police’, ‘attack’ and ‘arrested’. From 2020–2024, after the magazine’s launch, that number rose to 49 percent. More common words now include ‘community’, ‘multicultural’, and ‘project’.
The G41 Observer: Govanhill on TikTok
If you are on Scottish TikTok, you’ve likely come across the Observer Glasgow G41 account. Arif Iqbal started it after a personal run-in with the police: “I made this page as I was stopped and searched by Police Scotland in Govanhill on my way to work. They assumed I was a drug dealer. The police officers were from another area. I complained… I didn’t like the attitude of the police. So that’s why I made a TikTok to show the real life of Govanhill.”
Arif’s content has since become a staple of hyper-local citizen reporting on TikTok, garnering a following of 45.7k. Through a mixture of videos, from food recommendations to protests, as well as job opportunities in Glasgow and updates on local incidents, the G41 Observer offers a lens into the area that he believes the mainstream media rarely captures.
“I post things that Govanhill people see but others don't – it's a community. There is a judgement toward this community but I cover the gaps. The Glasgow Times and Glasgow Live follow me for news.”
Although he wants to challenge misconceptions about the area, his coverage is still rooted in everyday realism, warts and all. He spoke about a major incident he covered – that of the stabbing of a 13 year old boy leaving a mosque near Queen’s Park last year: “I have gained trust with each generation, such as mums. When the stabbing happened, I was there, sharing the news.” While much of the mainstream media focused on the incident, Arif was also documenting how the community came together and the real concerns they had.
Still, his reporting attracts negativity even when that’s not the intent: “If I post about Govanhill, things like Nicola Sturgeon, trafficking and grooming gangs are raised. I also get comments like ‘deport’ and ‘dump’ a lot.”
The impact of Arif’s videos depends heavily on how they are framed and understood. Local news outlets use Arif’s content, sometimes without clear context. A video showing blue lights and police tape or a firetruck outside of a burning local business might rack up thousands of views and inform residents but unless balanced with other narratives, it can increase fear and eclipse the everyday normality and joy that is also present in Govanhill.
A balancing act
Of course, negative reporting on Govanhill doesn’t just focus on crime. In recent years Govanhill has become known in association with another word too: gentrification. And this too comes with its share of online discourse. This can be light hearted such as comedian Zara Gladman’s viral video in which she selects ‘Govanhill hospitality dramas’ as her Mastermind specialist subject or Paul Black’s send up of middle class families ice skating in Queen’s Park – ‘on their ain ice skates’. However, it can also evoke strong feelings. Last year, an online article exploring how the (now closed) two.eight.seven bakery became ‘so polarising’, stirred up a huge digital debate.
On Facebook groups, X accounts and in Instagram comments, this battle for the Govanhill narrative continues. Over the page, you’ll read about the efforts by local Facebook group admins to curate the stories that are told.
Here at Greater Govanhill, we aim to present a solutions-focused approach to local issues, embracing nuance and encouraging dialogue but there are always more stories to be told and as we firmly believe, who gets to tell the story and how they tell it, matters.