RACE PORTRAYAL IN MASS COMMUNICATIONS

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Race Portrayal in Mass Communications

Kroix Hansen

North Carolina A & T State University

JOMC 393

Dr. Guffey

8 December 2020
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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to inform about the impact of mass communications. The diversity

of race and gender in the media is at an all time high. The portrayal of African Americans in the

media is mostly negative. With research conducted, the conclusion is that with change and

education, the race that the media projects onto others can be changed in a positive way. There

are many different forms of people in today’s society which shows a massive change in the

media. Diversity is one of the main topics in all forms of media. There were many studies and

statistics studied that helped with the research of the topic. When people begin to understand the

different cultures and races, then diversity can grow even more in mass communications.
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Legal Diversity in Mass Communications

The media is our approach to impart thoughts, sentiments, news, amusement, and

anything the heart wants to anyplace and anybody. Our lives spin around the media. Regardless

of how we feel about it, we are encircled by it. Lamentably, as a general public that spins around

the media, it is difficult to be uninfluenced by what we see. We are holding the data tossed at us

by the media if we understand it and it hits everybody in an unexpected way. The pervasiveness

of race and the media's summed up generalizations and bogus depictions of it make it hard to

avoid bigotry and generalizations in regular day to day existence also. We are especially drawn

closer by numerous notices a day and albeit not every one of them get an opportunity to depict

race, some do and they sway individuals differently. In promoting ads, pictures with logos, or

some other visual component to help an organization acquire income, regular racial

generalizations can be added in, with or without the acknowledgment of those making the

advertisements.

Most advertising is put out to attract a particular group of people, it may also attack them

at the same time, by portraying the stereotype of those people instead of a more realistic version
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of a group of people. As America grows as a nation, the media must grow with us; our country is

encapsulated in sites such as Twitter and Facebook and we hold access to millions of channels on

the television. My generation has the world at our fingertips and with that comes knowledge,

discussion, and awareness.The dispute among many is the lack of representation of different

races and orientations in our white-washed heterosexual cisgender media. Thousands have

spoken on this issue, taking different approaches and bringing different examples to discuss the

need for diversity in the media. Diversity and representation is necessary in the media to

eliminate unrealistic expectations, racism, and misunderstood cultural awareness. Modern

racism, although subtle, is still present in our day to day life. Quite obviously we do not have

slavery and segregation, but there are present stereotypes and prejudices against certain races and

orientations.

One of the main types of diversity in mass communications is race. The overall

representation of African Americans is very different from any other race. The United States of

America has been called a “mixing pot” since the birth of the nation. Everyone, especially

politicians and educators, will proudly declare that the U.S. is a land of unmatched diversity. The

U.S. seems to always be portrayed as a highly cultural territory, harboring a vast population of

many races. Admittedly, the United States has come a long in terms of eliminating racial barriers

and pursuing equality. All around the world, America is seen as a country of colors, yet mass

media does not recognize that fact. Black males are one of the main people that are portrayed by

the media in a negative light. “Black males also tend to be underrepresented as experts called in

to offer commentary and analysis in the news. News programs frequently include “talking heads”

invited to help clarify a given topic, but these tend not to be black males. In a 1997 sample of

network news clips, black speakers accounted for less than 3 percent of the statements made by
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experts commenting on various issues, (Entman & Rojecki, 2000, p. 69).”The news is the most

widespread perpetrator of racial bias, with some of America’s top news channels feeding their

audience racism.

Another false narrative of the media is the depiction of black families across all

platforms. The families are viewed in a distorted narrative of being dysfunctional and poor.

Researchers from the Washington Post conducted a study that showed that, “Black families

represent 59 percent of the poor portrayed in the media, according to the analysis, but account for

just 27 percent of Americans in poverty. Whites families make up 17 percent of the poor

depicted in the news media, but make up 66 percent of the American poor.” This is directly

related to mass communication companies, publishing content to capitalize off a certain

stereotype.

Colorism is another significant angle that has been brought upon by the broad

communications. Colorism includes fair looking African Americans dismissing blacks who are

more obscure skin conditioned. This likewise incorporates issues including hair surface, eye

tone, and hair surface. It additionally includes segregation among their own race on an

individual's composition and actual qualities. In the media, regardless of whether it be on TV or

in papers, it has been said that those with lighter appearances, are dealt with more diversely than

more obscure African Americans. African American ladies in the broad communications depict

ladies as cliché, mammies, female authorities, government assistance beneficiaries, and jezebels.

These pictures have been controlling pictures for quite a while. The media shows belittling

attributes of people of color being languid and wanton. Today in the public eye the pictures in

ladies, particularly people of color, are disturbing. In music recordings defamatory verses and

trading off photographs powers the network to accept that this is all what African ladies are
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about. People of color are given the most sexual and belittling functions to advance and promote

items and collections for record names. These kinds of pictures just convey negative pictures that

this is the main thing people of color realize how to do. Individuals of color are viewed as

medication clients, vicious and bum dads in the broad communications. Music recordings depict

them additionally as hooligans and uninformed. Whenever indicted for wrongdoing the news

will frequently show a mug shot of a dark male however will show a less hostile image of a

white male. Wrongdoing shows and motion pictures will in general show dark guys as the guilty

party, being rude , running from the police, and engaged with antagonistic circumstances. The

media will in general show this kind of conduct again and again in the news or distributed in the

paper more frequently than you would see a dark male accomplishing something positive for his

locale. This is the reason other dark guys are impacted by what they see since this is all they see

and they accept this is the thing that they should do. At the point when society is seeing similar

practices being indicated constantly then this makes the generalizations of that race. They accept

how the race acts dependent on what they see on TV and what they read. Then again, similar

negative pictures by the media are pivoted with regards to white females and guys. White

females are depicted as casualties of violations and honesty. Scientific documents, TV programs

or cold case shows appear to show wrongdoings that included a white female as a casualty, cases

with dark casualties are not planted so much. Another case of the media affecting or advancing

racial generalizations is in the motion pictures. A great deal of the motion pictures that are about

group viciousness or living in metropolitan regions center around dark guys being furious and

perpetrating violations.

For instance, A film called " Threat to Society, was created by individuals of color, and

was an absolutely negative showcase of African American Men. This film zeroed in just on the
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road life and caused it to appear as though there is something acceptable and decent about being

a hooligan and being associated with crime. A great deal of the films depict individuals of color

as being simply creatures that have no cerebrums and just take part in crime. With these kinds of

films being available, it is just expected that society including other African Americans will

accept and carry on what they see. The media continually besieges us with negative pictures of

African American guys and females, and this is the thing that energizes racial generalizations.

Tragically, individuals will in general accept what they see on television. They accept that what

they see on television is reality with regards to the world and everyone in it. The individuals who

accept what they see on TV have no other reference or individual beneficial experience which to

contrast or diverge from settle on choices about they see. More youthful kids will in general

glance at the media to investigate new things and check whether they can identify with different

things on the planet. TV and the media have a method of generalizing individuals, races, and

societies dependent on normalized jobs and practices. This gives individuals an expansive

thought and presumptions.

Mass communications have a huge impact on global society. Almost every person gets

their information on the happenings of the world from it. In a world that has over 4 billion people

living in it, each story that is published will have a great amount of people reading about it. That

is why so many outlets can change lives. In today’s society, mass communications is heavily

relied on. The media and its compelling impact on the majority have expanded dramatically in

the previous fifty years. At first, the news and media stations were restricted to the message. The

innovative creations at that point discovered numerous stations to get out the word to the

majority, for example, the radio, papers, magazines, TV, sites, and now portable applications

also. The broad communications have become an indistinguishable piece of society and the lives
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of residents and that is the reason it is important to comprehend the broad communications effect

on individuals. From economy to amusement and from legislative issues to excellence,

everything is currently affected by broad communications.

Different people see things different ways and most of the time it is based on the makeup

of that person. People are a sum of many different parts, from sexual orientation, to gender to

race.

People are a sum of many different parts, from sexual orientation, to gender to race. In order to

reach the next level of diversity, the media will need to understand how each of these parts is

represented in this media. Diversity in the media has to be pursued diligently and purposefully.

Media creators need to be cognizant of all aspects that will affect their target audience and be

willing to take measured risks. Research and education will go a long way in helping media

creators achieve this. The intended audience plays a role in this also and need to voice their

opinions when the media does not represent their interests properly. With a combined effort the

nation can take a step toward further diversification of media.

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Bibliography and References

“Media Portrayals and Black Male Outcomes.” The Opportunity Agenda,

www.opportunityagenda.org/explore/resources-publications/media-representations-

impact-black-men/media-portrayals. Media of all forms collectively provide a skewed

image of the lives and reality of black males for different reasons. Media consumption, in

turn, adversely influences the understandings and attitudes of the public linked to black

males (sometimes even black males' own understandings and attitudes). These warped

understandings and perceptions towards black males eventually contribute to negative

effects for them in the real world.

Donaldson, Leigh. “When the Media Misrepresents Black Men, the Effects Are Felt in the Real

World.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Aug. 2015,

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/aug/12/media-misrepresents-black-men-

effects-felt-real-world. Negative mass media portrayals were strongly correlated with

lower life standards among black men in a 2011 report, Media Representations & Effects

on the Lives of Black Men and Boys, conducted by The Opportunity Agenda. On

television, the internet, fiction shows, print ads and video games, these portrayals,

continuously reiterated in print media, influence public perceptions of and attitudes

towards men of color.

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Jan, Tracy. “News Media Offers Consistently Warped Portrayals of Black Families, Study

Finds.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 29 Apr. 2019,

www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/12/13/news-media-offers-consistently-

warped-portrayals-of-black-families-study-finds/. According to the study released on

Wednesday by Color of Change, a racial justice group, and Family Tale, an advocate of

multiple family structures, major media outlets regularly show a skewed image of black

families, depicting them as dependent and dysfunctional, whereas white families are

more likely to be represented as sources of social stability.

Variety. “Two in Three Black Americans Don't Feel Properly Represented in Media, Study

Finds.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 18 Sept. 2020,

www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/two-three-black-americans-don-t-feel-properly-

represented-media-n1240438. The study entitled "#RepresentationMatters," also

found that 67 percent of Americans across political ideologies and ethnicities

believe that there is a greater need for all of the following on-screen representation:

mixed race people, black men, black women, black girls, black teenagers, black gay

men, black gay women, black transgender men, black transgender women, black

non-binary or genderqueue women.

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RutgersU. “Media Portrayals of Black Men Contribute to Police Violence, Rutgers Study

Says.” EurekAlert!, www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-11/ru-mpo112118.php.

Researchers also analyzed the coverage of Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager in

Ferguson, Missouri, who was shot to death in 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white

police officer, in three newspapers, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and

The Washington Post, to demonstrate their premise. Due to their high potential to

influence public sentiment, the newspapers were chosen.