Negative Portrayal of African American Men in the News Media - Essay Example

? Negative Portrayal of African American Men in the News Media Introduction One of the prominent considerations in terms of the 20th and 21st centuries has been progressive social movements. From civil rights to gender equality this historical time period witnessed significant shifts in terms of sociological perspectives and rights. While outward progressive gains were achieved, in large part there are a number of areas where gains still need to be made. When considering the means by which mainstream sociological perspectives are established, the pervasive understanding is the contemporary news media. This communication apparatus functions not simply as a means of disseminating information, but as a comprehensive means by which contemporary social paradigms and stereotypes are established and perpetuated. In addition to gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes are the largest example of this perception forming ability of the media, with African Americans one of the most prominent such instances. This essay examines how African American males are negatively portrayed by the news media. Analysis The overarching consideration in terms of the portrayal of African American males in the news media is the extent that such portrayals can be legitimately established as negative. In this context of understanding it’s understood that while significant social progress has been made there still exists considerable disparity between the depictions of majority culture and African American culture. One of the groundbreaking studies in this field was conducted by Lichter (1987) who revealed: Research on the portrayal of African-Americans in prime-time television from 1955 to 1986 found that only 6 percent of the characters were African- American, while 89 percent of the TV population was white. Among these African-American characters, 49 percent lacked a high school diploma and 47 percent were low in economic status (Lichter 1987, pg. 14). While this disparity has shifted slightly in recent decades, a qualitative perusal of contemporary media depictions demonstrates that significant disparity still exists. Such depictions have oftentimes been regarded by the majority public as simply indicative of legitimate disparities in demography. Still, it’s clear that such depictions do not simply demonstrates contrasting demographics, but have also taken on negative and oppressive functions. The main danger in this realm is through the politico-psychological implications of this pattern. In these regards, the negative depiction of African American males has two significant implications. The first substantial implication is in terms of personality development and the self-concept. To a large degree the news media not only relays facts and daily occurrences, but also depicts a visions of reality that has the corresponding affect of shaping reality (Goldberg 1993). African American males viewing frequent negative depictions of themselves in these contexts take on such representations as indicative of proper social functioning; a cyclical pattern of negativity then emerges where African Americans are matriculated in a cultural milieu of pervasive crime, failure, and negativity (Goldberg 1993). The second substantial consideration is the political implications of such negative portrayals. The viewers of mainstream media outlets are also the policymakers and participants in the democratic process; be it politicians, or simply voters, the inundation of negative stereotypes of the African American male creates a socio-political environment that promotes oppressive policy and stringent judicial regulations (Hartmann 1974). The ultimate affect of such negative portrayals is the creation of a society that is built to reinforce cultural stereotypes and systematically restrict upward racial mobility. There are a number of specific instances where these disparate media depictions emerge. An important notion to consider in these regards is the historical precedent for such negative portrayals of African American males in the news media. In these regards, a number of prominent cultural stereotypes that were established by media outlets in the early 20th century, while having shifted, remain latent as a sort of mythological unconscious element in many contemporary cultural depictions. One such example is the Little Black Sambo character; it’s noted that this, “Sambo was depicted as a perpetual child, not capable of living as an independent adult" ("Mediaknowall as&a," 2011). While in large part such depictions have been abandoned in the contemporary cultural environment, it’s clear that the Little Black Sambo character is still prevalent in some sitcom archetypes; for instance the perpetual child aspect can be seen in elements of the popular show ‘Martin,’ featuring Martin Lawrence. It’s no surprise when one considers that the major news outlets are almost exclusively owned and perpetuated by majority interests that the African American male finds himself in a position of subjugation. Yale scholar Stephen Balkaran (2007) noted that, Only when events are associated with concern of the "white public" do they become newsworthy…. The day-to-day tensions of black existence and exploitation, which are crucial concerns of the black community, are not primary concerns of the white public. Only the symptoms of these conditions, such as freedom rides and social disturbances, impinge upon whites. Hence, it is only such "events" which become newsworthy in a white press. Within this context of understanding, black males are disproportionately characterized in the contemporary news media as criminals, rapists, and placed in other such nefarious contexts, as it is in these positions that they constitute the most significant threat and subsequent largest interest to the largely white viewing public. A notable consideration in these regards is that while African American males are pervasively depicted in the contemporary news media in these criminal contexts, inner city homicides, rapes, and robberies are only committed by an estimated 8% of black youth (Balkaran 2007). Ultimately, this is demonstrative of a news media that concerned only with the depiction of the socio-political concerns of the dominant culture. One of the important considerations in terms of the portrayal of African Americans in the news media is the nature of mode of media expression. While many claims have been given to the negative portrayal of African Americans by mainstream news outlets, a growing body of alternative media networks has emerged as a response to what is deemed distorted portrayals. One such example is the emergence of the Black Entertainment Network (BET). Established by Robert Johnson in 1980 the network has steadily grown in size and has gained significant market share among a strong segment of African American youth (Goldberg 1993). Today the network has reached a global scale, broadcasting to over 85 million households in throughout the United States, Europe, and Caribbean. In large part the network is driven by rap and R&B music videos by prominent black musicians, live music ‘countdown’ programs such as 106 & Park, as well as a lineup of public affairs and Christian affiliated programming. A spinoff channel referred to as Centric, TV One – a channel with broad ranging programming, and the Black Television News Channel, joins this channel. The main notion in all of these channels is that rather than the mainstream depiction of African Americans, the cultural apparatus has been co-opted and power dimensions shifted away from one of marginalization and subjugation. One such example is witnessed on the popular 106 & Park where the hosts and prominent guests are both African American and the main communicative patterns are more in-line with an urban aesthetic than the traditional formality characteristic of mainstream news and entertainment outlets. The ultimate affect is a shifting of the socially accepted norms or standards in favor of this African American aesthetic. Conclusion In conclusion, this essay has examined the negative portrayal of African American males in the news media. In this context of understanding, the substantial negative nature of this depictions has been established, as well as the socio-political implications this misinformed media process has on contemporary black culture. In addition, the emergence of alternative media outlets, including Black Entertainment Television (BET), have been examined as they provide a counter-narrative to the oftentimes oppressive depictions engendered by mainstream media sources References Balkaran, S. (1999). Mass Media and Racism. Yale Political Quarterly. Vol. 21, 1. http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.html Goldberg, D. (1993). Racist Culture. Cambridge, Mass: Blackwell Publishers. 42. Hartmann, P. (1974), Racism and the Media. Rowman & Littlefield Press. 147. Lichter, R (1987). "Prime-time Prejudice: TV’s Images of Blacks and Hispanics". Public Opinion 10. pp. 13-16. Mediaknowall as&a. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.mediaknowall.com/as_alevel/alevkeyconcepts/alevelkeycon.ph p?pageID=race Read More