Portrayal of Black Men in News Broadcasts - Research Paper Example

Your Lecturer's & of Portrayal of Black Men in News Broadcasts in Relation to Popular Culture in American Society The images presented in the news is always effective in portraying certain groups of people in every society. Clearly, the news is a reflection of what happens in a given society since journalists have an ethical requirement to remain objective and abide by relevant laws relating to the subject that they handle in each broadcast. Additionally, it can be also said that the images presented in the news has an influence on the perceptions that people would have on certain groups of people in the society. It is therefore conclusive that the news affects and is affected by the dominant trends and affairs in the society. However, in the case of America, there is reason to suspect that some elements stereotypical and racism affects the objectivity of newscasters. Due to this, there are some trends in the media that portray Black men in a way that is often not clear and/or representative of the actual actions that occur in the wider society. This paper argues that the way Black men are portrayed by in the news media is strongly influenced by stereotypes amongst key players in the media as well as popular culture which has presented Black men as violent and a menace to society. Empirical Studies Research and studies have been carried out by various academics and stakeholders in the American society about the image that the news media presents of Black men. The dominant research in this area were conducted by two main figures, Entman and Romer. Entman discovered in his research that the dominant image of Black men portrayed in the media is that of mug shots which indicates a Black man under restraint by a White police officer (330). On the other hand, White criminals who are featured in news are often shown with their past picture. This indicates that the White criminals are presented in a less harsh form whilst the Black criminal is presented as a dangerous handcuffed person who needs to be restrained because he is dangerous. Also, Entman identified that Black criminals are often presented in news without their names (342). This suggests that these Black men are seen to be just a part of a larger group of criminals who has just done what members of his group do – commit crime. On the other hand, White criminals are always presented under their individual names. This shows that the White community presents their criminals as persona non grata or persons who are singled out of their 'clean' society for inappropriate behavior to the group. Romer however conducted statistical research that led to interesting findings and conclusions that gave very different identifications to the whole idea of the way criminals of Black origins are presented in America. First of all, he identifies that Black men are thrice more likely to appear as criminal suspects and they are twice as likely not to appear as law enforcement officers (Harnett 110). This means that Black people are always seen as the bad guys. They are hardly seen as the law enforcement officers. In comparative studies, Romer identified that although 30% of homicide victims in Los Angeles are Blacks, they are seriously under-represented in police coverage of homicide victims. Most homicide victims who merit news exposure in LA are Whites (Harnett 110). Also, the American Bar Association recommends that the past crimes of suspects and victims must be aired to provide better discharge of justice in cases (Harnett 110). However, in real life, Black victims are likely to have their past criminal records disclosed through the media. This also shows that there is clear evidence that there is discrimination in the news. Whites dominate in the area of violence and felony in Los Angeles but only 20% of these crimes are ever aired on TV. Also, with a statistic of 59% of the police officers in LA being White, they are over-represented in media coverages because about 69% of police officers who appear in news broadcasts are Whites (Harnett 111). One may argue on the premise of coincidence to debunk these statistics. Such a person can say that perhaps it is the White officers who are well trained to arrest criminals or Black people are generally violent and they commit the worst crimes or White sympathizers control wealth in America so there is the need to provide content that will keep them interested in the news. Although these counter arguments might be true, the fact remains that Black men are portrayed as the villains whilst White people are either the victims or the police offers. This in my view is not healthy for the building of a healthy society and it serves to segregate America further down the road. Scope of the Problem “Television conveyes news, broadcasts, stories, ads and drama series in which Black people are negatively portrayed” (Javier 6). This statement is in relation to the adoption of babies who are innocent. And this statement tries to explain why innocent Black children are not preferred candidates for adoption. This shows clearly that there are numerous negative impressions about Black men which is presented through the media. “In an era of mass incarceration where one in three young Black men will wind up in prison, there is reason to associate Blacks with criminal activities” (Pager 94). This shows that the probability of Black people being involved in crime or going to jail presents a strong motivation for people to present Black people as a bunch of criminals in a news report. “High levels of incarceration casts a shadow of criminality over all Black men, implicating even those (in the majority) who have remained crime-free” (Pager 94). In other words, there is a major perception that Black people are the most likely to commit crime. This influences the concept of newsworthiness. Newsworthiness refers to the standards and the ultimate yardsticks that determine what should get into the news and what should not. In this case, since Black people are more likely to commit crimes, they are often associated with the worst of crimes and this adds to the commercial value of information presented by media outlets and this makes such situations newsworthy and highly reportable. Due to this, Blacks are 75% more likely to represented as perpetrators in crime reports in LA as opposed to Whites who have just a 25% chance of getting into the headlines with their crimes (Pager 94). Popular Culture Another reason why Black people are cast in the wrong light in the news as violent criminals is related to the idea of gangster rap. Historically, rap music began as talk over instrumentals (Stark & Buzuwa 321). This is because when rap began in the early 1980s, it was just made up of MCs or Djs talking over an instrumental which gave it some poetic features. It was therefore apparent that the kind of words that rap music portrays and the kind of person doing the talk determined the worth of rap music. This is because the most commercially successful rap songs had to be one that had some appeal to a wider section of the public. With time, it became conclusive that the more controversial the lyrics of a song was, and the more controversial a rapper was, the more viable his rap songs were on the markets. This therefore led to a trend where music producers preferred to sign on rappers who were portrayed as the most 'eventful'. “Gangster rap emerged in the latter parts of the 1980s and brought the violence of the inner city life of African Americans into the music and out into the world”(Campbell 90). Since the most controversial artists and the most commercially viable rappers were those who could represent the extremes of the ghettos in America, those artistes became more popular in America. The most commercially viable rappers were given roles in movies that portrayed the extreme violence of Black communities and the violent cases they indulged in during their normal lives were given a lot of media attention, thereby making them more popular. A classical case is Tupac Shakur who invented the concept of Thug Life which represented the violent and drug-fueled lives of ordinary people in Black America. The controversies surrounding Tupac's life made him popular. His parents' role in the civil rights movements and the violent life he led made him a popular figure. Thus, most of the Whites who sought to learn about the lives of Black people in America sought to view these media displays of life in African American communities around the country. These rappers therefore became a model for the conception of other people whenever they thought of Black people. Based on this, the media had to portray these fragments of the Black community by casting off Black people as the bad guys as they were presented in the media. It was therefore newsworthy to always present a Black person as a bad and violent individual. This is because the model of Black people that most White people knew was that of a violent gangster who always spent time planning more crimes to commit. Thus, the media was just playing out what most White people wanted to see or hear about Black people in America. Repercussions of the Negative Portrayal of Black Men in the News Basically, the whole idea of presenting Black men as criminals and people of violent tendencies is one that shapes conceptions that are negative for the growth and development of America. In most national media outlets, the welfare issues of Black people are often the only issues discussed in most news bulletins (Hartnett 111). Thus when individual Black men are criminalized, the collective picture of the Black community is presented as one where there are complainers, loafers and underachievers. This clearly stands in the way of bridging the gaps of equality that exist in this country. Also, the stereotyping of Black men as criminals makes it difficult for a Black man who wants to do the right thing to succeed. This is because when a Black man is always given extra checks and efforts are made to restrain him when he wants to do the right thing, there will come a time where he might give up and just turn to crime. This is because in a society where there are fewer opportunities, it takes a lot of effort to do the right thing. Thus, in doing this, when the media demonizes your type and everyone is very sensitive to what you do and they are always looking out for your downfall, it is every easy for a Black man to just give up in despair and turn to crime and other anti-social behavior which might appear to be the easier option. In this case, the nation loses one person who might have to go to jail and be fed by the taxpayer. On return from jail, such a person might not be able to put his talent into any good use because there will be many legal restraints. It is therefore important for the society to make a conscious effort to discourage the tagging of Black people in the media as criminals. There should be more emphasis on the positive things that Black have always done and continue to do to improve the economy. This will encourage the generations after them to also do the right thing and not turn to crime. Attempts to Address the Issue. The Kenner Report was released in the early 1970s and it said that minorities were under-represented in the media in America. It also stated that Black people have always been cast in a negative light in the media and there was the need to undertake positive action to promote the image of Blacks and other minorities (Murray 204). However, there was little the media did. And this led to so many civil actions that sought to seek social justice. These actions, like the Rodney King induced LA riots, OJ Simspon Trial and the Million Man March sought to put pressure on the numerous stakeholders and promote equality. Amongst the main areas that these protests sough to address were the issues of media victimization of Black people. Some of these riots ended up negatively and had a negative impact on the state. It will therefore be more prudent for the nation to embark on a campaign that will ensure that the media respects the rights of Black men and cast them in a positive light rather than the negative images it presents of such people. Conclusion There is a lot of stereotyping in the American media. This results in a situations where the Black man is presented as a violent criminal and White people are presented as the victims and police officers who suppress these Black men. The media continues to replay this trend by giving prominence to cases that involve a Black man. This is rooted in the fact that most people expect to here such news, thereby making bad news about Black people newsworthy. Also, the development of gangster rap presents Black people as violent people so White people who want to engage in these situations from a safe distance always pay more money to gain access to such events in the news. The media's focus on Black criminal is not good for the bridging of the equality gaps that exist in America. It is therefore important that something is done to prevent this trend from continuing. Works Cited Campell, Michael. Popular Music in America: And the Beat Goes on. Mason, OH: Cengage. 2008. Print. Entnam Robert. “Modern Racism & The Images of Blacks in Local Television News” Critical Studies in Mass Communication. Fall 1990. pp320 – 45 . Journal. Hartnett Stephen John. Challenging the Prison-Industrual Complex: Activisim, Arts & Educational Limitations. University of Illinois Press. 2010. Print. Javier Rafael Art. Handbook of Adoption: Implications for Researchers, Practitioners & Families SAGE Publications. 2007. Print. Murray Michael. Encyclopedia of Television News. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1999. Print. Pager, Devah. Marked: Race, Crime & Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration. University of Chicago Press. 2007. Print. Stark Evan & Buzawa Eva Schlesinger. Violence Against Women in Failing Relationships ABC CLIO Publishing. 2009. Print. Read More