Media Influence on People's Ideas About Race (Research Paper Sample)

Media influence on people’s ideas about race
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Media influence on people’s ideas about race
There has been a common phenomenon portrayed in movies and television shows where the main characters are whites. The place of the people of color is often the gangster, watchman, terrorist, and maid and so on. The place of the colored in the American society is often second class and inferior to the whites in most of the mainstream media. The media is a key influence in the way the society perceives and reacts to race. Ethnicity and race are much more than physical attributes but also a way through which people see and understand the world. The common prerogative in the American society is that people of color are inferior while the whites are privileged and superior. The American society has however made notable progress over the decades in eradicating ethnic discrimination. There is however persistent injustice and inequality perpetuated by the media (Wilson, Gutierrez & Chao 2012)
The media has a critical role in defining the meaning of ethnicity and race. It facilitates the common perception around race and ethnicity as a key part of our history, identity, social organizations and our daily lives. Race has been used as a way of categorizing people and groups based on their physical appearance and characteristics especially the color of their skin. Ethnicity is a key indicator of a person’s physical origin or nationality, one’s ancestry, language and in many instances one’s creed (Jacobs 1999)
Geographical roots and physical appearance are closely linked to racial and ethnic identity. It is however important to note that race and ethnicity are also ideological ways of looking at and understanding the globe. There is a saturation of meaning that comes with ethnicity and race. Broad concepts and affiliations are conveyed by race and ethnicity. A person’s race can be used as a pointer of belonging to a certain group or as an outsider. The identity of a person is not only a distinction by skin color but also a broader way of describing people. The system of distinction leaves some groups with more privileges and powers than others.
The American media has failed to comprehensively tackle the issue of racism and ethnicity, constantly portraying African American men as drug dealers and gangsters while at the same time glorifying the whites as working class. This treatment has subsequently diminished the aspirations of the youthful for employment and prosperity. The particular attention of the media on the negative side of the black race has persisted, whereas holding on the poverty cycle has always been the ideal situation for the elite (Entman & Rojecki 2001)
The absence of standards and set rules and regulations applying to journalists in choosing, producing and broadcasting news is a notable omission. This has made the media unruly focusing much of their energy and resources in amplifying the woes of the wounded while paying minimal to no attention on the root causes of the problems facing the African Americans. There have been quick responses to the media when it comes to controversy and conflicts that relate to race. Anything that is not in the eyes of many a crisis does not see the light of day. There is persistent ignorance of the racial problems facing America. When the problems blowups only then do they become newsworthy.
Failure by the media to pay close attention to the events surrounding the African-American society has contributed to racial woes. Significant matters such as poverty, education, urbanization and state of the economy affect the black community significantly. A critical example was the biased reporting of the 1992 riots in Los Angeles. The riots were occasioned by political crisis, cultural decay and decline in the economy. The media did not focus on the real issues but amplified racism as the principle catalyst. The blame was thrown primarily on the black race. The facts however were as follows; of those arrested 36% were African-American of which a third had full time jobs and had no political attachment. 60% of participants in the riots were whites and of Hispanic descent. The facts were however never reported. The effect of such selective reporting that is largely biased only contributed to further sideline and scorn the black people. Similar riots were reported in Miami in 1980. The media did not present facts instead choosing to accuse the African-American men as having rooted and destroyed property. There was no research conducted on the causes of the riot.
The unreported facts by the media may in many ways change the ideology surrounding racism. For example between the year 1967 and 1990 black families with an annual income of at least $50,000 grew form 7% to 15%. This means that the number of black people earning $50,000 and above grew by more than a double percentage within the specified period. For the African-American families comprising of a couple who work, the median income grew from $28,700 in the year 1967 to $40,038 in the year 1990. The growth was more than 40%. Comparing this to the white families, a couple who worked recorded a 17% growth during the same period. The growth was from $40,040 to $47,247.
The number of school dropouts from the different communities has consistently dropped over the years. The number of African-American dropouts from high school decreased from 24% to 13% between 1972 and 1991. Considering family income and other differences relating to background the likeliness of African-American youths to drop out of school is lower than that of the whites. It is worth noting that the likelihood of an African-American youth securing a fulltime or part time job has not increased despite staying in school. The unemployment rate among the blacks is twice as much as that of the whites. Biased media coverage maintains a racial stereotype in the American society hence contributing to a society that is malfunctioned. The fact that most of the dominant media are controlled and staffed predominantly by the whites, the consequence is the promotion of the white subculture. The breakdown of a proper social function is evident when the legitimate concerns from the African-American society are rejected as being immaterial or threatening the populist (Aguirre 2003)
The beating of Rodney king in the year 1991 by white police officers from Los Angeles attracted attention across the board. The officers stated that they were terrified that the man could harm or attack them. The excuse was viewed as legitimate among the whites. The excuse of "fear" is an indication that there is a deep rooted bias from the media portraying anything from the blacks as bad. The ideology that black is evil has been on the rise over the decades. The view has promoted the false idea among the whites regarding their perception about the blacks. The facts that the media choose to ignore is that the fair majority of the blacks attend school, are employed and are neither involved in criminal activities nor illegal gangs. It has become common among the Americans to stop African-Americans and question them on any nonconformity (Sciortino 2003)
Statistical facts indicate that close to 50% of murder victims are African-American. It is important to note that African-Americans make only about 12% of the entire population. These facts not withstanding most of the victims of death sentences seem to target black people. In case an African-American is convicted of murder, they are 38% more likely to get a death penalty unlike other races.
The graph below indicates the percentage of convictions depending on the murder victim. It can be seen clearly that the likelihood of a successful conviction is higher if the life in question belongs to a white person.
Graph 1.
The fact as it is indicates that 50% of homicide victims are African American. It is imperative to emphasize the absurdity of the situation. It is expected that justice should prevail at all times but the racial card seems to be overpowering the justice system. The judicial system seems to be influenced by the racist ideology propagated by the media in many ways. Controversy has often been demonstrated when the victim is not white as opposed to when the murder victim is white. The big question is, has the justice system bowed to the stereotypic ideology propagated by the media? Is the law enforcement agency persuaded, more by race and ethnicity other than justice and the rule of law?
Other facts indicated that 1 out of 15 African-American men are imprisoned as opposed to 1 in every 106 whites. The graph below demonstrates the trends surrounding race. From the graph it is a fact that the chances of being incarcerated increases if you are a not white and happen to be caught in the wrong side of the law.
Graph 2.
It is worth noting that the media as a powerful tool that shapes the ideology and understanding of the society impacts greatly the arms of governance as well.
For a better understanding of the attributes prescribed to the different rac...