Brieanna Strickland

Strickland 1

Hacc Con
Communication Theory
Professor Dutill
Majority Rules
As humans we like to think that we control our own emotions, feelings and thoughts. Our
minds remain closed to the possibility of intrusion, and those whom are easily swayed are
viewed as weak and spineless. Yet most of us will never question one of the minds biggest
influences- the media.
The media plays a major role in the development of public opinion. According to the
research conducted by theorist Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, mass media tends to favor the
majority opinion. In doing so they manage to silence minority opinions on cultural and social
issues. The media's coverage of social injustices against African American men has favored the
majority opinion, thus the spiral of silence continues until the minority opinion manages to break
through. I will be applying the spiral of silence theory to the case of Eric Garner.
Eric Garner was a 43 year old African American male who was killed while in police
custody on July 17, 2014. He was approached by NYPD for allegedly selling untaxed cigarettes
on the street. Apparently tired of police harassment, Garner proceeded to have a heated
discussion with two officers. When officers attempted to arrest him he resisted, and more officers
were eventually called to the scene including Officer Daniel Pantaleo. Officer Pantaleo was the
officer who locked Garner in that fatal chokehold. The whole incident was captured on camera
by a friend of Garner and quickly circulated social media sites.
Most people are probably more familiar with Michael Brown. Brown was the 18 year old
african american male fatally shot by police in Ferguson, MO. Brown reportedly stole cigarillos
from a local convenience store. He and a friend were spotted walking down the street by officer
Darren Wilson. Brown and Wilson proceeded to engage in a struggle which eventually lead to
the death of Michael Brown. Brown died on August 9, 2014, after Eric Garner. Riots and protest
quickly ensued in Ferguson, which ultimately attracted the attention of the media.
The reason I chose to look at Eric Garner's case in relation to this theory is largely
because of the sequence of events. As previously mentioned Garner died first yet his case did not
gain national media attention until Ferguson erupted. However the video recording of Garners
murder was viewed on social media in the month of July. The media deemed that story irrelevant
and continued the spiral of silence for the time being.
The Spiral of Silence theory holds that people fear isolation. A fear of isolation prompts
those with minority views to examine the beliefs of others. Individuals who fear being socially
isolated are prone to conform to what they perceive to be the majority view (West and Turner,
389). In order to understand this theory a working definition of public opinion must be provided.
Noelle- Neumann defines public opinion as the attitudes or behaviors one must express in

public if one is not to isolate oneself..(West and Turner, 391). Studies suggest that people tend
to believe that the opinions and beliefs played out in the media are the majority views. Those
who feel as if the media supports their views will feel comfortable speaking out whereas those
with minority views feel the need to remain silent or face social isolation. This theory seems
particularly evident in the matter of race relations.
Racism has been alive and well in the U.S since its beginning. Researcher Stephen
Balkaran insist that race has become an institutional part of American society. The African
American community is a minority here in the United States accounting for a mere 13% of the
population according to the Center for Disease Control. The recent deaths of young black males
has drawn a lot of attention to race relations in this country. Race relations has been a hot button
issue in today's media. Reporters have had many debates and discussions on the issue, especially
concerning the cases of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner. A CBS news poll
revealed that after the deaths of these young men 54% of African Americans felt that race
relations were bad. 39% of the overall population believe they gave gotten worse and 45%
believe things have stayed the same. The media definitely does not work to make these relations
better, they tend to fuel the fire.
Racism portrayed via the media has been under the eye of researchers as early as 1999.
Research conducted by several theorists tends to prove that the media portray black men in a
negative light. Media have divided the working class and stereotyped young African-American
males as gangsters or drug dealers .The media have focused on the negative aspects of the black
community (e.g. engaging in drug use, criminal activity, welfare abuse) while maintaining the
cycle of poverty that the elite wants (Balkaran). Theorist P. Orelus believes that schools lack of
ethnic diversity leads our youth to be informed by the media. Unfortunately, the media for the
most part have portrayed a superficial and negative image of underprivileged racialized groups,
such as Blacks, Latino/as, Asians, Native Americans, and Arabs(Orelus). Theorist Abraham P.
DeLeon takes things a step further and extends the research into movies as well. He states that
even in movies black men tend to be sexualized, unruly, and deviant and they typically fill roles
as thugs, servants, or athletes. Mass media has continually worked to portray black men in a
negative light even when they have become victims.
Eric Garner, along with the other young men whose deaths have been publicly noted,
were often made out to be criminals and thugs. The media made it a point to bring up every
negative event in the life of Eric Garner. A lot of articles frequently mentioned that he was a
nuisance to store owners, that he was selling untaxed cigarettes, and that he resisted arrest. Some
articles even go as far as saying that Garner was the cause of his own death because he was
overweight. Now some of these allegations may be true but Garner was not the only individual to
break the law in that situation. A police chokehold has been banned in New York since 1993, but
the media will never tell you that information.
The Huffington post, which has recorded well over 100 million views and has become
one of the nations top news sites, post stories that are so biased they violate all ethical codes of
conduct. The Society of Professional Journalists also notes that journalist should be considerate
with issues such as death. Journalists have a duty to the people to inform and deliver clear and
accurate stories. News writing should be free of personal biases, opinions, and beliefs. Yet an
article like the following is allowed to be posted.

NEW YORK (AP) Eric Garner was overweight and in poor health. He was a
nuisance to shop owners who complained about him selling untaxed cigarettes on the street.
When police came to arrest him, he resisted. And if he could repeatedly say, "I can't breathe," it
means he could breathe.
According to Noelle- Neumann much of the population adjusts its attitudes to the tenor of
the media (West and Turner, 395). With that being said one can logically say that a majority of
Americans have adjusted to the belief that african american males are criminals and a nuisance to
society. African American males have even began to feed into the stereotypes portrayed in the
media. As a result of such treatment, the media have crushed youths' prospects for future
employment and advancement ( Balkaran). The media has so strongly imprinted these images
into the minds of our people that even though they know that something is wrong here, they will
remain silent.
People who feel as if their opinions and beliefs are supported will have more courage to
speak out. The media has feed so much into the majority belief that black men are nothing more
than social deviants. As of today people feel empowered and free to express racist statements in
public, this conclusion can be drawn from the information provided by the CBS News poll. As
stated in the theory the minority opinion is forced into silence, and most of those minority view
holders will align their public opinions with those of the majority.
Ive mentioned the Michael Brown case because this was an important breakthrough for
the minority opinion. The African American community in Ferguson had had long standing
issues with the police. It was later proven that law officials targeted black individuals, and some
high ranking officials eventually stepped down because of this controversy. The community there
had escalated to what Noelle- Neumann calls The Hard Core. Individuals within this group have
reached the end of the spiral of silence, and no longer fear the threat of isolation. They often take
drastic actions to ensure that their voice is being heard.
The rioting, looting, fires, and protest immediately attracted media attention. A story that
big was simply too good to pass up. While covering the events in Ferguson the media tried its
best to hold on to that majority belief of black men. They made sure to show pictures that
portrayed brown as big an intimidating, they even showed pictures from the teens social media
sites. The vast amounts of media coverage allowed the minority opinion to break through.
Protesters and bystanders alike were able to take over social media and most of the nations
biggest news stations and finally express their views on the issue.
The Brown case cleared a path for the Garner case. The video of the incident finally made
its way to prime time news. Because police brutality against african american men has always
been a hot button issue the media had no choice but to continue to cover the stories. Finally the
minority opinion holders were granted an opportunity to speak out and they took advantage of it.
People from all walks of life were finally able to see that they were not alone in their beliefs. The
massive amounts of media coverage on this issue lead people to believe that public opinions had
shifted.
Because of their enormous power, media have a lasting and profound effect on public
opinion (West and Turner, 389). When the media plays to majority views those who believe
they hold minority opinions are forced into silence. The media has done a terrible job in covering

issues related to social injustices against African American men. Noelle- Neumann states that
public opinion has a direct affect on public behavior. So in a sense the media has not only
managed to influence or minds but our actions as well. Mass media work to silence minority
opinions on cultural and social issues , but in due time the tides will turn and the spiral of silence
will end.

Works Cited
1. Balkaran, S. (1999, October 1). Mass Media and Racism. Retrieved March 25, 2015,
from http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.html
2. Black or African population. (2015, February 12). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from
www.cdc.gov/minorityhealth
3. Blake, A. (2014, December 15). People say race relations are getting worse. That's pretty
rare. Retrieved March 27, 2015, from www.washingtonpost.com
4. DeLeon, A. (n.d.). Beware of "Black" the Ripper! Racism, Representation, and Building
Anti Racist Pedagogy. The Social Studies, 263-267. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from
www.academia.edu
5. Hays, T., & Long, C. (2014, December 5). Police: Chokehold Victim Eric Garner
Complicit in Own Death. Retrieved March 25, 2015, fromwww.huffingtonpost.com
6. Orelus, P. (2012). Being Black and Brown in the 21st Century: Challenges and
Pedagogical Possibilities. Sage Open. Retrieved March 25, 2015, from www.sgo.sagepub.com
West, R., & Turner, L. (2007). Spiral of Silence Theory. In Introducing communication
theory: Analysis and application (5th ed., pp. 387-400). New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.