Media Discriminatory Behavior Against Minorities

Film and television, for example, have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what people from these groups look like, how they behave, and “who they are.” The power of the

Media as a whole has evolved alongside with the growth of technology, that give us new ways to interact with each other with social sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc… It also gives way for individual to get more information to get in touch with our culture. But often times, some of the information were given to us by media can be ignored and interpret it differently than the original meaning, especially the depiction of minorities in media. It is hard to watch any form of media in today's society without seeing some kind of injustice toward minorities or the representation portrayal of that particular minorities in the form of entertainment value without being analytical and invoke some kind of negative reaction toward that kind of representation.

Omi and Winant stated that the media plays an important role in the construction of race because it portrays and stereotype different racial groups. For example, “Film and television have been notorious in disseminating images of racial minorities which establish for audiences what people from these groups look like, how they behave, and who they are ( Omi and

The world we live in today is surrounded by media. The media goes anywhere from the television set in your living room to the browser on your cellphone, and even the radio in your car. In short, we cannot escape the media since it has become a natural part of our everyday lives. This five letter word seems so insignificant, yet it is so powerful. Since we are in touch with media everywhere we go, we always seem to believe everything that is shown to us. Many things are shown in media but that does not necessarily mean that they are always true. There are times in which certain ethnic groups are falsely portrayed. An article from 1998 titled, “No Chicanos on Tv” by Cecilia Alvear, talks about the lack of diversity that one might find in the media. In this case, she mentions that Chicanos are hardly ever shown in the media and that when they are, it is not in a positive way. Alvear mentions that they are only shown when they are being arrested or when there are illegal aliens fleeing. The media as a whole is responsible for the stereotypes,discrimination, and violence minority groups may face due to their portrayal of these races.

Popular culture is defined as “a composite of all the values, ideas, symbols, material goods, processes, and understandings that arise from mass media” (Atkins 131). It is well-known to the public and reinforces the way people see they world, including aspects such as race, ethnicity, and gender. According to Omi, popular culture “deals with the symbolic realm of social life, the images which it creates, represents, and disseminates contribute to the overall racial climate” (540). The individuals or groups belong to a specific race can be perceived based on their behavior portrayed by the mass media, instead of being recognized for who they truly are. Such effect created by the popular culture contributes to what is known as “racial stereotype”, which is “beliefs about differences in behavior associated with racial differences” (Jones 982).

While the media might not directly contribute to discrimination, the media is undoubtedly a significant aspect of modern day society that influences how people think about racial issues (Royce, 2009, p. 1, 17). Many people claim that racism no longer exists; however, the minorities’ struggle with injustice is ubiquitous. Whites are attempting to keep blacks and other minority families locked into an impoverished political and economic position by using various tactics to isolate them, such as mass incarceration that stems from the War on Drugs. The New Jim Crow helps us in seeing how history is repeating itself and how to legalized discrimination among the blacks and Hispanics by implementing the mass incarceration.

The media in our lives has the strongest impact on our everyday conversations, actions, judgments and perception on society as a whole. Without our modern day technology the world would result to judgments based on their own personal beliefs, not being so easily persuaded by others. The contemporary media portrays Black and Hispanic Americans in numerous positive ways, but more so in a negative light. The stereotypes that these minorities have been given not only affect the community as a whole, but the personal lives of each individual. Although the media can be used for good, the captivating movies, news stories, and documentaries seem to have a negative outcome. The medias focus on Black and Hispanic Americans has not always been bad, but the stereotypes that have developed over the decades shed a negative light on these two racial and ethnic groups.

Race in the media is a very sensitive issue now a days. When it comes to minorities we can still see that the media portrays us in a bad light. The image of blacks in the American media has changed over the past two decades with the civil rights movement, changes in attitudes towards minority groups, and increased sensitivity on the part of those who and project these images. An examination of the image of Blacks in the articles and advertisements to show attitudes subtly represented, and these attitudes can be linked to historical and social realities of the time.

The definition of race is often based on physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture and eye shape. Race is both a set of genetically defined biological characteristics and culturally defined characteristics. One influence on culture is the media and the media have a huge influence on the way different races are viewed by society. The media consists of communication devices and some media forms include television, newspapers, magazines, film and radio. Misrepresent can be defined as to give a false or misleading representation with an intent to deceive or be unfair.

There have been many studies done on minority stereotypes, however, there has not been enough focusing on the portrayal of minorities in the news. With the majority of Americans using local TV or newspapers as their source of information (Journalism.org, 2011) we must look at how citizen’s perceptions of themselves and others are influenced by the news. To define news framing, we will take Lecheler, Keer, Shuck, and Hänggli’s definition; “a process by which certain facets of social reality are emphasized by the news media, while others are pushed into the background” (2015, p. 341). Language as well as imagery can be a powerful tool in framing a story to guide an audience to believe it the way the journalist wants them to.

Racism and discrimination continue to be a prevalent problem in American society. Although minorities have made significant strides toward autonomy and equality, the images in media, specifically television, continue to misrepresent and manipulate the public opinion of blacks. It is no longer a blatant practice upheld by the law and celebrated with hangings and beatings, but instead it is a subtle practice that is perceived in the entertainment and media industries. Whether it’s appearing in disparaging roles or being negatively portrayed in newscasts, blacks continue to be the victims of an industry that relies on old ideas to appeal to the majority. The viscous cycle that is the unconscious racism of the media continues to not only be

The popular culture particularly visual media affects our opions and attitude towards race and racial minorities group. our assumptions about race and racial minorities are both successeded and reflected in the streotypes presented by the visual media. i strongly believe in the George Gebners scientific examintaiton of televison that how we perceive ourselves and how we view those around us are affected by what we see on television. Visual media has such a heavy impact on us that even though they present a grossly distorted picture of the real world. people tend to accept more readily than reality itslef. the popular culture deals with symbolic realm of social life, the image which it creates, represents

Television is regarded as a significant source of information that plays an influential role in formulating an individuals social reality. As a tool that conveys the simulations of every day life it “may become a part of our social experience and serve as a basis for social judgements such as racial attitudes and ethnic stereotypes” (Fujoka, 52). Stereotypes are explained as widely held beliefs about a particular person or group. Research shows that “television images of minority groups might affect minority members’ self-concept and racial awareness” (Fujoka, 54). The portrayal of minorities on television were deemed by minority groups as a conception of socially existing beliefs toward their racial group. As such, television may have perhaps

Muslims do not seem to have achieved social acceptance in the society as compared to other ethnic or racial minority groups. Although deviant behavior by Muslims or Muslim organizations can in no way be considered acceptable let alone be tolerable, denouncing an entire community of people of the same religion, color or ethnicity etc. as terrorists or evil or with any other form of bigotry cannot be acceptable either. However, the mainstream media today tries to foster hate and intolerance among people towards minority groups. The shift in journalism from providing public with information to providing personal opinions and views is one of the major flaws in the media today and is a vital aspect of media bias. The fact that journalists, media celebrities and activists try to convince the viewers into believing their own opinions and views and are told what to think instead of just providing them with information is what is wrong with the media today. According to an American broadcast journalist, news corporations are on a quest to increase profits and television rating point which has led to partisanship. Moreover he claims that in achieving this it has “supported the rise of hyper-opinionated news personalities, and encouraged the embrace of their biased approach to news gathering” (“Introduction” 4). It is common to come across activists and other media personalities making bold statements and declaration against the Muslim community. An astonishing example of the media

Mass Media has perpetuated racism through the inaccurate coverage of news in our country. The media has played a huge role in prolonging racism by disproportionally reporting on events and news that are tied to minority races. Decision makers should take notice to this awful trend because are country is becoming more and more racially divided day after day. The media has only weakened already weak ties between the white majority and minorities, creating much controversy and hostility. It is vital for policy makers and the american people to realize that the media’s agenda is much different from the public agenda and that the media does not operate in the benefit of American society. It is important to know that the media has drastically affected core values and put our country’s progression of race relations in danger.