The media is in a uniquely influential position to keep the public abreast what is happening justice and crime. However, inaccurate and misguided public associations concerning crime and ethnicity are leading to forms of discrimination including racial profiling upon the community itself. Regardless, media articles drawing associations or links between nationalities, ethnicity, an individual’s place of birth, or race are common. Even well-intentioned media can strengthen this association through a misplaced focus on ethnicity especially in cases where it is not relevant. Skewed racial discrimination is amplified by the media, who often over-represent minorities as crime suspects and the whites as victims. The worthiness of crime news is not the product, but how it is scripted using stereotypes such as racism. The way crime news is reported by all means amplifies the racist narratives thus challenging our own internally biases held within us.
In the articles selected, a number of illustrations of race are reported in the content as a single identifier. For example, a Democrat-Gazette report, titled “The tattooed man asks for cash, and gets none” , the individual alleged to commit the crime in the article is described as a 19-24 years old white man who was around 5.8 inches tall and weighed 180 pounds (A. (Ed.), 2011). Consequently, another report titled, “Hair-raising scuffle reported at LR wig shop”, the individuals alleged to have committed the crime were termed as six black ladies (A. (Ed.), 2011). In yet another report on July 19th titled, “Man arrested in robbery of a woman” , the suspect is recognized by his age and name, and thereafter, a section follows stating that the suspect was a black man (A. (Ed.), 2011).
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The race is only pertinent when the story being told is in relation to race. Just because individuals in a fight are of diverse nationalities does not mean that race is the source of that fight. For example, a story in the media about interracial dating is a story concerning race. Therefore, if the race of an individual charging the discrimination is important, so will be the race of the individual being charged. It is therefore important for journalists to note their influence their stories have on the audience. This because audiences without direct experience or knowledge of the current events rely on media for information and judgment.
References
(Ed.). (2011). Hair-raising scuffle reported at LR wig shop. Hair-raising Scuffle Reported at LR Wig Shop . Retrieved July 21, 2011, from https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2011/jul/21/hair-raising-scuffle-reported-lr-wig-shop/ .
(Ed.). (2011). Man Arrested in Robbery of a Woman. Man Arrested in Robbery of a Woman . Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=%22Tattooed+man+asks+for+cash,+gets+none%22&client=firefox-b&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=664&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=DC8jQvOFde2oBM%253A%252CSyksVJ9q6WgQfM%252C_&usg=AI4_-kRYnIK8ejmi6iz7x0rL8W7Q9UKbEg&ved=2ahUKEwivn4bj_-3eAhVSvxoKHdBoAWYQ9QEwAnoECAIQBg#imgrc=ZpT5-0ZLMtTq8M:
A. (Ed.). (2011). The tattooed man asks for cash, and gets none. The tattooed man asks for cash, and gets none . Retrieved from https://issuu.com/arkansastimesvisitorsguide/docs/ar_times_8-3-11.
