Giving a place a bad reputation can harm its residents’ health – unless they’re empowered to change it

From “crap towns” to “shitholes”, there’s no denying that some places are unfairly tarred with a bad reputation. Sometimes it’s the result of sensationalised news coverage, but in recent years, the rise of “fly-on-the-wall” TV shows such as Benefits Street or Panorama documentaries has also left residents feeling misrepresented, and their communities tarnished.