Up until 1999 the goth scene in Britain had largely escaped any 
media-triggered moral panic.  The horrific Columbine High School 
killings in Denver, USA, changed that, with the press emphasising an 
apparant association of the killers with the gothic subculture.  The 
impact in Britian, however, was not as strong as in parts of the United 
States, where goths found themselves as one of several minority groups 
singled out in an ensuing media witch-hunt.

More recent media attention includes:

  * A 2002 Guardian newspaper article
    <http://www.guardian.co.uk/farright/story/0,11981,841363,00.html>
    covering the German goth/neo-folk scene, which describes goth as
    "the point at which neo-Nazism and Satanism meet."

  * A 2004 article about a youth outreach programme for goths in the
    United States <http://www.pitch.com/issues/2004-06-03/stline.html>,
    which concludes that the gothic subculture isn't actually a problem.

Make no mistake: violence, fascism and racism has never been tolerated 
by the goth scene.  Venue managers often comment positively at the lack 
of violent or rowdy behaviour at large goth events.  Unfortunately 
sensationalist journalism often seems determined to portray goth in a 
sinister manner, and the subculture is given little or no opportunity to 
defend itself.  Sadly little can be done about this.

(Note: For an idea of how little research the Guardian seems to do, in 
2002 they also suggested that glowsticks wouldn't be welcome in the 
Slimelight.  Clearly they haven't investigated the place anytime this 
millennium.)