Racism or racial discrimination
is the term used for any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based
on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin that has the purpose or
effect of nullifying human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life. Racism is a global
issue faced by many countries. It is identified as a serious issue that can
cause social unrest and moral panic in society. Racism also causes hate-crimes
such as murder or racial harassment. Now the question is that what could be the
possible factors that are triggering the negative stereotyping among masses? The
answer is simple, as a major institution in society, the media play a critical
role. The media provides us with images of prescription and description. They
provide us with definitions about who we are as a nation; they reinforce our
values and norms and help masses in formulating opinion regarding any issue.
They tell us how society sees us and at the same time, tell us how to behave in
society. They promote a notion of consensus - that there is a core group of
which we are a part. The media see themselves as the "fourth estate" -reporting
on issues of concern to the citizens of the nation. They defend their position
on grounds of neutrality, objectivity and balance. They are there to present the
"facts.” Media portrays the mythical notion that all individuals are equal in
society's eyes, and that all possess equal access to institutions such as the
media, helps to cement our notion of our society/nation as a liberal state.
Inequalities if they exist, within this mythical notion, are translated into the
responsibilities of individuals. In other words, if one cannot get a job, then
it is a reflection of that individual's inability to find employment. Due to the
growing media influence, racism has evolved from “black and white” in the past
to the multi-cultural issue it is now. We identified stereotyping as one of the
main contributing factor to racism and have provided evidence to support the
theory that media promotes racism by influencing the audience’s stereotype on
different groups of people. An example would be the reports on black people
since the slave trade, how they portray black people and constantly associate
them with terms like crime, drugs, rape and animalism. This tends to leave a
negative impression of the certain group in the audience’s mind and they are
more likely to associate their future experiences based on their impression.
Moreover an intense negative impact could be caused when the media is bias in
being selective on reporting issues and how they tend to amplify certain issues
or distort events because of various factors such as political reasons or for
monetary benefit. There is also a higher tendency for headlines stories with
racial dimensions as it usually creates much more commotion within the community
demanding justice. 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. There is no denying that
the media is to blame largely for promoting racism, there are also other
contributing factors that further instill and sustain racism in the societies.
It is essential to be aware of the threat that the negative media holds and
everyone can do their part to contribute towards a more harmonious society.
Media could portray positive image of every community very effectively for
world`s peace. Media conglomerates must take steps in this regard.