Influence of the media in creating racial stereotypes
Racism is a global issue facing many nations. The seriousness of this issue goes to the extent that it can cause moral panic as well as social unrest in the society. Despite the growing tension caused by racism, the public has not given the issue the sufficient attention it deserves. The advent of technology and the dawn of digital era is one of the key factors that has stimulated racism in most parts of the globe (Kulaszewica, 2015). As a result, Kulaszewica (2015) notes that the digital media have played a substantial role in the development of the racial stereotypes. This has resulted in the development of negative stereotypes on the racial groups concerning their characteristics and their behaviours (Mastro, et al., 2009). The intent of these stereotypes is to justify the position of these racial groups in the position held by these groups in the racial hierarchy. The purpose of this case study is to evaluate the actual role of media in influencing the racial stereotypes. To achieve this goal, the case will use framing in media in evaluating the impact that it has in spreading racial stereotypes. Moreover, the study will evaluate the existing studies that have focused on the influence of media in stimulating racial stereotypes. Reviewing these articles will facilitate the identification of the research gap that this study aims at filling.
Literature Review
The advances in digital technology together with the trends in media have revolutionized the creation and access to the media content (Tukachincky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). The Internet has become the core platform where information sharing is widely used. However, despite this fact television viewing has persisted to be a prominent source of media for decades. As such, the content displayed on the TV no matter how big or small it is; it has an impact on the beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes of the viewers. Tukachincky, Mastro, and Yarchi (2015) noted that media portrayal has a key role in influencing racial issues. Since the 1980s, the blacks gained equality regarding quantity and quality of roles portrayed in media (Tukachincky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). Despite this equality, blacks have been featured in crime and sitcom dramas where this featuring encourage the stereotype of blacks as aggressive and criminals (Tukachincky, Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015). Hurwitz and Peffley (1997) also argued that most blacks in America are associated with theft, robbery, and murder, which is a major intent of these films. Hurwitz and Peffley (1997) add that most of the news portrays blacks as criminals different from the white criminals as well as physically threatening which is a national trend. As a result, media play a substantial role in linking blacks with crime, which concentrates the black’s stereotypes as more negative.
In a different study, Park, Holody, and Zhang (2012) attempted to investigate whether U.S. national newspaper was promoting racism through VT shootings. The evaluation of this study took into account the fact that Asians are small in number in America as revealed by the FBI crime statistics. The study went ahead to evaluate an instance of fourteen school shooting occurrences in the news of a network television that revealed that shootings with more injuries and killings were covered more. Sonnett, Johnson, and Dolan (2015) provide an explanation for these occurrences by arguing that what one sees and hears in the media shape their ideas; thus the understanding of the social reality. This becomes important in understanding the impact of the racial stereotypes over the racial groups. Sonnett, Johnson, and Dolan (2015) criticize the American TV news by asserting that their coverage represents the disastrous racism of the modern U.S.
Attempting to offer an explanation of why most of the American TVs spread racism, Sonnett, Johnson, and Dolan (2015) claim that they receive influence from two broad categories either from inside or outside the firm. The inside effect comes along when the producers are limited on their time and resources where the organization forces them to rely on the existing credibility from military, business, or government. The external effect occurs when the news are shaped by the corporate ownership (Sonnett, Johnson, & Dolan, 2015). From these two factors, the visual and verbal messages used to air the news determine the stereotype being criticized. For instance, a Fox story showed helpless black victims in wheelchairs rescued by the White and Smith the presenter claimed that doctors were forced to make hard decisions of the patients to save and to allow dying (Robinson & Culver, 2016). In this case, the black people are presented as helpless living in a situation of life and death with the white men being the rescuers. As such, it becomes apparent that most of the white reporters are interested in covering issues with the racial components (Robinson & Culver, 2016). The urge of promoting racism is the one that motivates the reporters to be more interested in covering the racism component. This not only promotes racism but also the stereotypes associated with the captured racial group.
The motive of spreading the racial stereotypes in the media is meant to change the racial attitudes, social judgments, and allocation of judgments of the viewers (Mastro, et al., 2009). The effectiveness of racial stereotypes exploits the priming framework, where the information displayed in the media is meant to guide on subsequent judgments (Mastro, et al., 2009). However, Kulaszewicz (2015) argues that the stereotypes made in the made aims at representing the opinions, beliefs, stories, and identities of what white people believe of other race. Thus presenting the blacks as criminals is the prime motive of the whites, for them to influence the past and present perception of their audience. With such perception, Arendt and Northup (2015) argue that it is easy to predict the future behaviors of the racial group.
Schemer (2013) adds on the same by arguing that the purpose of media stereotypes is to gain support from the audience that will favor various policy programs such as restricting immigration of the stereotyped group. For such effect to take place, it does not need the over presentation of the issue, rather, one exemplary is enough to change the perception of the audience. For instance, a study evaluated the impact of negative newspaper coverage on the immigrants in Germany did change the anti-immigrant behavior, attitudes, and perceptions.
Methodology
To investigate the way current media manifests racial stereotypes, framing in media was assessed. Framing, in this case, focused on the way media focuses on reporting a story or instance in the attempt of influencing the understanding of the audiences. Taking this stand for this research proved its worthiness as the way news are reported, and emphasis used determines the perception, behavior, and attitude of the audience concerning the reported news. To achieve this goal, the study evaluated the perception of the social instance presented by the reporter as well as interpretation of the instance by the audiences. The study used analyzed the existing studies on framing in media by evaluating a number of reporting made to influence the audiences. The analysis also evaluated the metaphor, jargons, word choice, and storytelling elements used by the reporters to make this influence.
Results
From the reviewed cases, it was made clear that reporters have a key role in influencing racial stereotypes through media. Framing takes a number of stances depending on the way media wants to change the perception of the target audience. This falls under the various types of frames that the presenter can take to influence the audience. According to (Boydstun, et al., 2013), there are a number of frames that the reporter can take such as security and defence frames, law and order frames, fairness and equality frames, quality of wealth frame, cultural identity frame, and crime and justice frames. The motive of the media is the one that determines the frame to be used for reporting the news. The reviewed studies revealed that most of these frames could be used to display racial stereotypes. For instance, a reporting did by CNN on 2nd September 2005 where the journalist Aaron Brown reported on the New Orleans (Sonnett, Johnson, & Dolan, 2015).
The reporter described the instance as violent and desperate emphasizing that blacks are violence and helpless. This instance accounts one case where framing is utilized to portray racial stereotypes. Moreover, the evaluated cases revealed that there is an increased bias on the TV news focusing on the African Americans as being punitive to the crime policies (Schemer, 2014). In addition, the journalists employ various techniques to achieve frame while reporting the news to achieve racial stereotypes. The common technique is the use of jargons or slogans as well as stories that recall the historical happenings together with the spin that presents an issue in a judgemental way.
Discussion
Racial stereotypes in media have persisted since the historical moments. The reviewed articles presented the way TV news and films are being used to influence the perception, behavior, and attitudes of the audiences. The case study method applied in the study has affirmed these claims by looking into the framing used by the media to influence the reporter’s perception that in turn influence the behavior and attitude of the audiences. To achieve this, the study has found that journalists use specific word choice, jargons, and histories. The use of these tactics is meant to influence the audience by portraying or affirming the already known myth about the racial group. Conversely, the use of these tactics depending on the biases of the journalist where the white are portrayed as being perfect while the people of the color as the victims of the instances. Besides, the journalists are interested in covering the stories or issues that affirm the racial stereotypes to influence the perception of the audience concerning the racial group. This follows the decision on what is relevant to show on the media in the attempt of influencing the target audience.
Conclusion
As the study has demonstrated, racial stereotypes are still dominant in today’s media. The trend will persist until the public pays sufficient attention to the issue and take relevant actions to intervene on this issue. The study has revealed that media show biases of the people of the color from the whites by presenting them with charming characters and achievements while the people of color criticized with negative stereotypes. The success of these stereotypes depends on the internal and external perception that media organizations take to influence the public. This results to the framing where the journalists take a certain perspective on the phenomenon to impact the behavior and attitude of the audience in promoting the racial stereotypes.
References
Arendt, F., & Northup, T., (2015). Effects of Long-Term Exposure to News Stereotypes on Implicit and Explicit Attitudes. International Journal of Communication, 9, 2370-2390.
Boydstun, A.E., Gross, J.H., Resnik, P., & Smith, N.A., (2013). Identifying Media Frames and Frame Dynamics Within and Across Policy Issues. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/jwilker/559/frames-2013.pdf
Hurwitz, J., & Peffley, M., (1997). Public Perceptions of Race and Crime: The Role of Racial Stereotypes. American Journal of Political Science, 41(2), 375-401.
Kulaszewica, K.E., (2015). Racism and the Media: A Textual Analysis. Mater of Social Work Clinical Research Papers, St. Catherine University.
Mastro, D., Lapinski, K.M., Kopacz, M.A., & Behm-Morawitz, E., (2009). The Influence of Exposure to Depictions of Race and Crime in TV News on Viewer’s Social Judgement. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, 53(4), 615-635.
Park, S., Holody, K.J., & Zhang, X., (2012). Race in Media Coverage of School Shootings: A Parallel Application of Framing Theory and Attribute Agenda Setting. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 89(3), 475-494.
Robinson, S. & Culver, K. (2016). When White reporters cover race: News media, objectivity and community (dis)trust. Journalism. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1464884916663599
Schemer, C., (2014). Media Effects on Racial Attitudes: Evidence from a Three-Wave Panel Survey in a Political Campaign. International Journal Opinion Research, 26(4), 532-544
Sonnett, J., Johnson. K.A., & Dolan, M.K., (2015). Priming Implicit Racism in Television News: Visual and Verbal Limitations on Diversity. Sociological Forum, 30(2), 328-348.
Tukachinsky, R., & Mastro, D., (2015). Documenting Portrayals of Race/Ethnicity on Primetime Television over a 20-Year Span and their Association with National-Level Racial/Ethnic Attitudes, Journal of Social Issues, 71(1), 17-38.
