The presence of discarded metals in the back alleys of cities is a ubiquitous feature of contemporary urban life. To many, this metal is waste to be forgotten. To some, it is the basis of scrounging to survive. Based on a qualitative content analysis of news reports, we reflect on media framing of scrap metal collection in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Our analysis reveals that news media adopt a crime frame to depict metal collecting that emphasizes dangerousness and destruction of culture and history, while individualizing the actions of collectors and ignoring questions of urban poverty, racism and other contextual factors linked to crime. We contrast media representations with data from interviews with local scrappers and observations of the scrap metal industry in Winnipeg to illustrate what is absent in this media framing. We also reflect on the conundrums apparent with proposed metal crime regulations.

中文翻译：

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当地媒体将废金属收集定为犯罪

在城市的后巷，废弃金属的存在是当代城市生活的普遍特征。对许多人来说，这种金属是被遗忘的废物。对某些人来说，这是生存的基础。在对新闻报道进行定性分析的基础上，我们对加拿大曼尼托巴省温尼伯的废金属收集的媒体框架进行了反思。我们的分析表明，新闻媒体采用犯罪框架来描绘金属收藏品，该收藏品强调危险性和对文化和历史的破坏，同时使收藏家的行为个性化，而忽略了城市贫困，种族主义和其他与犯罪有关的背景因素的问题。我们将媒体代表与来自当地报废者的采访数据以及对温尼伯的废金属行业的观察数据进行对比，以说明这种媒体框架中缺少的内容。