Media Representations: Ethnicity Flashcards
How are ethnic minorities in the media represented as criminals?
Van Dijk = Black Caribbeans portrayed as criminals in tabloids, ghettoised e.g drugs/violence, or in organised gangs.
Agbetu = a black person in the media has 3 attributes: criminality, involved in sports, or involved in entertainment. Portrayed as perpetrators of crime, not victims.
How are ethnic minorities in the media represented as abnormal?
Poole = cultural practices of minorities are portrayed as abnormal e.g Hijab, so media are ethnocentric.
Evaluation = Functionalists would say that media reflects collective conscience, Pluralists = media is xenophobic if society is.
How are ethnic minorities in the media represented as a threat?
Stuart Hall’s black mugger study = labelled young black men as folk devils, so turned white WC against black WC, used to divert attention from crisis point in capitalism.
Evaluation = this is a conspiracy theory, suggesting that the Govt knowingly create moral panics.
How are ethnic minorities symbolically annihilated in the media?
Malik = Asians often underrepresented in TV programmes, and a lack of Asian presenters on the radio.
The Daily Mail are more interested in victims of crime if the victims are white.
Evaluation = Neo-Marxists say that journalists exclude ethnic minority groups as it helps to maintain capitalism, divides WC.
How are ethnic minorities in the media represented as dependent?
Pambazuka (African Organisation) = criticises media for overemphasising African corruption / failure to discuss how the West keeps Africa poor e.g Sudan owes UK £681 million, £508 million is interest. This is ignored in favour of taking a Eurocentric view.
What would Marxists say about how the media represent ethnic minorities?
Ethnic minorities are portrayed negatively in order to create a WC divide in society and to distract from capitalism, so they are less likely to start a revolution.
How are media representations of ethnic minorities improving?
Stephen Lawrence case received high profile coverage across papers, Black Lives Matter movement supported, and media products like Ackley Bridge tackle racial divides between schools.
What would Neo-Marxists say about how the media represent ethnic minorities?
Racism is not deliberately created, but is reinforced by white MC journalists who are just presenting their view of the world, creating a cultural hegemony in society.
What would Pluralists say about how the media represent ethnic minorities?
The media is not biased, but just reflects the view of people within society. So, if ethnic minorities are portrayed negatively, it must be an accurate representation.
If bias does occur, it is due to practical factors: time, expenses, etc.
