Role of Media in Portraying African Americans

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Role of Media in Portraying African Americans

The media plays an important role in the society, as it is the mirror through which vices can be highlighted and condemned (Tukachinsky, 2017). A successful democracy such as the US has heavily relied on media independence to highlight excesses even from a government point of view. The media, when used in the right way, can be a game changer as it gives the challenges that happen in the society. The media is a tool to having a moral society, highlighting corruption, racism, slavery and discrimination.  The way the media be it TV stations, newspapers and magazines portray African-Americans has a bearing on the living standards and social well-being of this group of people. Many researchers have appreciated the need of having media that is a true mirror of what is happening in the society (Tukachinsky, 2017). The media should be independent and one that is guided by integrity to air events of mistreatment and at times praising people for major milestones in life. The media is not supposed to work with the government of the day as vices such as corruption, racism and slavery may be hidden under the carpet.

Media stations such as Al Jazeera, CNN and BBC have highlighted the suffering of the Africa Americans making the government of US rush and address the needs of this vulnerable group of people. Even though these media stations have been commended for a good job well done, there has been criticism on equal measure. The media can be used to impact positively to the African Americans in the US in the following ways.  African Americans living in the US get highlighted by a number of media ranging from local newspapers, television outlets and radio stations. The way the media portrays the status of the American Americans with regards to the employment and income can positively impact on the lives of this group of people (Graber & Dunaway, 2017). The country has a low unemployment rate despite enjoying a high participation rate from the large labor workforce that the country enjoys. The media is supposed to go deeper and determine the actual statistics of the number of African Americans that have been employed in European firms. The contracts of the employees, whether there are satisfaction and income earned can be used to impact the living standards. It is a general understanding that Africans Americans are not treated well by being biased in terms of income as some of them are paid low salaries and others are not even employed on the basis of their skin color (Bonilla & Rosa, 2015). The media should actively highlight such gaps and ensure that such firms that encourage racism in the employment industry are blacklisted and dealt with accordingly.  The media is supposed to pursue equality in the society and this would positively affect the lives of the African Americans.

Secondly, the way the media highlights Africans Americans involvement in justice systems and other social services is important in positively affecting the lives of the African Americans (Graber & Dunaway, 2017). In many cases that have gone to court, this group of people has been mistreated and it is the role of the media to ensure that such injustices do not prevail. The media must actively ensure that there is a rule of law and that everyone operates under the same law, such that no one feels superior. African Americans must be allowed to participate in court procedures and to enjoy the social amenities of the country without any bias (Bonilla & Rosa, 2015). The group will feel equal in terms of citizenship and the media would be a game changer for better lives. The media must also describe the educational standing of the African Americans, beliefs and the possibility of improving the lives of the African Americans (Tukachinsky, 2017). The media should educate the society on the required norms for economic development and personal satisfaction. African Americans must be encouraged to engage the media as equality demands equal opportunities for everyone. The media should be open to this group as they are most vulnerable to mistreatment as they are regarded as immigrants in the country despite having stayed in the country for a long time. The media should live within the confines of true journalism and be the real mirror of the society.

In conclusion, the media plays a significant role in ensuring that the plights of the African Americans are highlighted. Those that are not focusing on societal needs should make a turnaround and start a course in ensuring the vices of the society are eliminated. Racism, bribery and corruption is the greatest enemy of economic development and all forces including the media should play a role in ensuring that this is long gone (Scharrer & Ramasubramanian, 2015). The African Americans too must rise to fight for their needs through the media. They must participate in judicial proceedings, be employed in competitive jobs and be compensated adequately for the services rendered. In the event that such fundamental needs of life are met, people will get satisfied and the standards of living will be high. It will also discourage the practice of engaging in criminal activities such as terrorism as the people will be dedicated to national development. The African Americans should actively start engaging the media on the ways to positively improve life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

 

Bonilla, Y., & Rosa, J. (2015).  Ferguson: Digital protest, hashtag ethnography, and the racial       politics of social media in the United States. American Ethnologist, 42(1), 4-17.

Graber, D. A., & Dunaway, J. (2017). Mass media and American politics. Cq Press.

Hurley, R. J., Jensen, J. J., Weaver, A., & Dixon, T. (2015). Viewer ethnicity matters: Black          crime in TV News and its impact on decisions regarding public policy. Journal of Social          Issues, 71(1), 155-170.

Scharrer, E., & Ramasubramanian, S. (2015). Intervening in the media’s influence on stereotypes of race and ethnicity: The role of media literacy education. Journal of Social Issues,       71(1), 171-185.

Tukachinsky, R. (2017). Media Portrayals and Effects: African Americans. Oxford Research        Encyclopedia of Communication. doi:10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.453

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This entry was posted on March 26, 2018 at 10:27 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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