The Historical Beginnings of the First Ethnic Newspapers in the United States - Essay Example

Communication Q1. Discuss the historical beginnings of the first ethnic newspapers in the United s as describedin the readings. What were their similarities? What were their differences? What role do ethnic newspapers and non-English broadcast outlets play in contemporary times? Are they still necessary? In the US, ethnic groups started publishing their own newspapers as early as the 1770s. For instance the French community in Rhode Island had its own newspaper in 1778. Spanish language newspapers had flourished since the El Misisipi was founded in 1808. In 1827, Samuel Cornish and John Brown Russwurm started the first ever African American periodical which they named Freedom’s Journal. Many more newspapers by the black minority community scattered all over the US flourished after this, mainly because they had a loyal readership among their target audience. During the last half of the 19th century, many more ethnic immigrants were coming to the United States. They too established their own ethnic newspapers to cater for their own social and political needs. For example, there were numerous Yiddish newspapers that were published for the Jews who were fleeing into the country from Eastern Europe (Rhodes 24). Today there are over 51 million Americans who are consumers of ethnic media, which is represented in over 40 different languages (Matsaganis, Katz and Ball-Rokeach 33). One of the similarities in the development of ethnic newspapers and media was that all of them stemmed from a need for self expression. The first ethnic newspapers started by African Americans who at the time had limited rights and opportunities. They used the newspapers as a tool that they could use to champion their grievances. The newspapers gave the black Americans at the time the voice that they had previously been denied. Media was one way through which they could all unite as an ethnic group and share their values together. The same can be said of the other ethnic newspapers which were founded on the need for self identification and expression (Rhodes 47). In the course of their development, most ethnic newspapers and media outlets faced considerable challenges. One of these challenges was lack of finances. Most of the main advertisers stayed away from ethnic newspapers since they did not want to loose market among the majority white English speakers. However, they slowly started getting classified adverts from local grocers, auto repair stores and travel agents (53). One of the major differences in the history of ethnic media in the United States is the extent of use of the media. Hispanics have always been the biggest consumers of ethnic news in both newspapers and broadcast media. The media outlets favored by Hispanics mostly operate in Spanish. Most Hispanics understand and communicate in Spanish, therefore it is quite easy for them to follow events in their own tongue. Spanish media in the United States is also quite advanced. This means that many Hispanics are able to follow both local and international events without relying on mainstream media. Black-American media for both print and broadcast is mainly in English. This has always been the case since the advent of the ethnic media in the US. The ethnic media used by Black Americans is different from that used by other ethnic groups whose ethnic media is normally in their own vernaculars (Matsaganis, Katz and Ball-Rokeach 101). The African American ethnic media is also as widespread as the Hispanic media in the US. On the other hand, other small ethnic minorities do not enjoy such well organized ethnic media. This could be due to their inferior numbers. The ethnic media used by these groups is mostly for socio-economic purposes, rather than to champion for political rights. Most of these ethnic groups come from many different Asian countries, all of which practice different lifestyles. In order to keep in touch with their roots, these ethnic minorities use their own form of media to communicate their ideals, values and cultures (Howley 11). Ethnic and non-English broadcast outlets play a very important role in contemporary times. Since most ethnic media talks about issues that touch directly on the lives of the target audience, many people from ethnic groups coming to America have been able to use this information to their own advantage (Matsaganis, Katz and Ball-Rokeach 157). Issues concerning immigration, jobs for new citizens, cultural messages are all communicated through ethnic media. Immigrants normally use the information they get from these media to settle and adjust comfortably into their new environment in the United States. It is also through the ethnic media that most people from ethnic groups in the US are able to keep up with what is happening back home. Ethnic media also enables individuals from various ethnic groups to in touch with their values and cultural beliefs (Rhodes 344). Therefore, it is right to say that ethnic media, when used for positive reasons, is necessary for those who rely on it. Q2. Based on our in-class discussions and our screening of the documentary film “When Hate Goes Pop” discuss whether a double standard exists between ethnic, religious and sexual orientation slurs when used in popular entertainment and instances when the same language is uttered in public as reported by the news media. In your opinion, do the words or images presented by popular entertainers have any impact on their audiences? Is there ever an appropriate time to use words, images or phrases that have traditionally negative connotations? The Movie “When Hate Goes Pop” looks pop culture and its influence on society. One of the questions that emerge from this movie is whether pop culture has crossed the discrimination line. The program also raises the question of how the audience reacts in a contradictive manner to pop culture. For instance they may love a pop musician, such as Eminem or Lenny Kravitz, but they will definitely not like his music. From this documentary film, it is quite clear that there is a double standard that exists between ethnic, religious and sexual orientation slurs in today’s society. When used in popular entertainment, such language is tolerable and even sometimes accepted (Cawelti 29). However, it is a whole different story when the same language is uttered in public. From the film “When Hates Goes Pop”, it is clear that the society has come to accept that there is nothing wrong with talking about things one might not like in the crudest terms. As a matter of fact, talking crudely about something that they do not like makes people look ‘hip’. It is also clear that the media is somehow reluctant to address this issue of uncensored hatred in any clear terms (32). However, the opposite is true for artistes in the music industry who can sing any hate-laced song and no one will dare raise a finger. Freedom of speech has ensured that there is as little censorship as possible in the music industry. Therefore, the need for regulation has for a long time been ignored, and this has only ensured more crude outspokenness in the music industry. In the film, many of the musicians talk of tolerance, but they do not seem to be bothered by the kind of language they use in their lyrics. Some of them even went as far as defending their fellow musicians who had used sexual slurs in their music, saying that some words had no negative connotations nay more (Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao 74). However, when the same ethnic, religious and sexual orientation slurs are used in public, it becomes discrimination. When an individual speaks out against a religious outfit, an ethnic group or people from a certain sexual orientation, many people will be out in arms condemning the person. Many will accuse him or her for abusing his/her freedom of speech. The media will cover such an utterance with great attention. There are all sorts of laws and regulations that make it criminal for anyone to speak out against another person on the basis of that person’s ethnicity, religious and political affiliation or any other personal trait that might make him different from the rest (Cawelti 85). The irony is that these laws do not touch musicians, who may have a stronger influence on society than common individuals. I strongly believe that the words and images presented by popular entertainers do have a major impact on their target audiences. Musicians and other popular entertainers are among the most influential people in society. People listen to music and the message they get from the songs is likely to stay for a very long time. A large number of the audience that follows popular entertainers is composed of young people. It is very easy to influence this group of people though entertainment. Many youths consider most of their favorite musicians to be their idols and role models. Therefore, if a role model was to tell them to hate a certain group of people that is what they would do. Young people are not the only ones in danger of being negatively influenced by this kind of entertainment. There are those people who harbor feelings of dislike towards people from certain group and once, they hear any negative messages about the people they do not like; they may be encouraged to act against those people (Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao 135). I do not think that there is an appropriate time to use words, images or phrases that have traditionally negative connotations. The meanings of these words will always remain the same and they will always generate deep feelings whenever they are uttered, whether in music or otherwise. The use of ethic, sexual and religious slurs may cause discontent, disharmony and mistrust among different people who might have been living together in peace. The same policies and regulations that make it illegal to make any discriminatory remarks should apply to the entertainment industry as well. Therefore, I think it would be wise for the music industry to censor what many musicians sing so that the discrimination line is not crossed. There is nothing wrong with singing or writing nice clean lyrics that do not have to insult or discriminate against other people. Works Cited Cawelti, John. Mystery, Violence and Popular Culture: Essays. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 2004. Print. Howley, Kevin. Understanding Community Media. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010. Print. Matsaganis, Matthew, Vikki Katz and Sandra Ball-Rokeach. Understanding Ethnic Media: Producers, Consumers, and Societies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2010. Print. Rhodes, Leara. The Ethnic Press: Shaping the American Dream. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, Inc., 2010. Print. Wilson, Clint, Felix Gutierrez and Lena Chao. Racism, Sexism and the Media: The Rise of Class Communication in Multicultural America. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 2003. Print. Read More