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The Press And The Reproduction Of Racism

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Racism can be defined as an act of segregation of a particular racial group with the belief that one race is superior or inferior than the other races. Typically, the dominant group would be White/European and they would view the non-European groups, for example minorities, immigrants, and refugees, as inferior. Additionally, the dominant group would assume they have priority over social resources, for instance residence, employment, health care, income, status, respect, and knowledge (Van Dijk, “The Role of the Press in the Reproduction of Racism”).

According to Van Dijk, there are two dimensions that the superior group finds itself being dominant in. These two dimensions are social and cognitive dimensions. The social dimension is explained as an act of segregation against other racial groups, such as the unequal distribution of social resources or human rights. On the other hand, the cognitive dimension is explained including beliefs, stereotypes, prejudices, and ideologies that would have some type of racist message or intention behind it (Van Dijk, “The Role of the Press in the Reproduction of Racism”).

The term “Racism” came about during the 1920’s, which indicates that the term does not go that far back in history. However, racism has been going on for the longest time and it does not have a specific date or time when it first began. One of the biggest historical examples of racism is the transatlantic slave trade that occurred during the 16th to the 19th century

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