History and the media - things we need to take into consideration
It is important to learn about how the media has dealt with issues in
the past, because it allows us to make informed decisions about the
future, and it can help to not make the same mistakes twice, also if we
look at a problem in the past, we can work on how we would change things
now, so that the problem no longer exists. Also by looking at how the
media has dealt with things in the past, it might help change our
perspective on that particular event, etc. as we realize that the media
portrayal might not have been accurate.
Some examples of how things can sometimes be negatively viewed from the media would include the portrayal of people who join gangs and do illegal activities, e.g. looting in the UK. They are often portrayed as either white individuals with a low socioeconomic status or people of color, although this demographic maybe true, the people in gangs are often shown as lazy and not having any purpose to their lives,
I think this is an inaccurate representation as there maybe individual reasons as to why someone choses to be in a gang. I also think the television show 'The Simpsons' gives a misrepresentation in the media of American culture and can lead to peoples prejudices becoming more mainstream. This is seen in the way that Homer has a lack of education and many working class stereotypes (over – weight, lazy, etc.) yet is the main provider for his household, where as Marge merely stays at home looking after the children. Also Bart is always talked about in the family, where as Liza being the girl that is successful often gets left in the background. Also the fact that Homer's friend Apu is an indian immigrant with a Phd who earns less than Homer who is Caucasian without a Phd, is upsetting and goes to further reinforce stereotypes.
The Kerner Commission of 1968 was a commission set up that looked at the news media and its portrayal of issues in the United States. It found that the news had fell victim to 'white privilege', and that the issues were seen through a white perspective. They noticed that the news would make a judgement on whether or not something was news worthy, and this in turn would affect how an audience viewed the world. The news would want to represent the views of the population majority, e.g. Caucasian. These findings are very relevant to what we are talking about in class, as it explains why the newsroom is often not very diverse (because it does not convey the ideas of the white majority.) Also this explains the way that news and the information chosen to discuss is often viewed in society.
Some examples of how things can sometimes be negatively viewed from the media would include the portrayal of people who join gangs and do illegal activities, e.g. looting in the UK. They are often portrayed as either white individuals with a low socioeconomic status or people of color, although this demographic maybe true, the people in gangs are often shown as lazy and not having any purpose to their lives,
I think this is an inaccurate representation as there maybe individual reasons as to why someone choses to be in a gang. I also think the television show 'The Simpsons' gives a misrepresentation in the media of American culture and can lead to peoples prejudices becoming more mainstream. This is seen in the way that Homer has a lack of education and many working class stereotypes (over – weight, lazy, etc.) yet is the main provider for his household, where as Marge merely stays at home looking after the children. Also Bart is always talked about in the family, where as Liza being the girl that is successful often gets left in the background. Also the fact that Homer's friend Apu is an indian immigrant with a Phd who earns less than Homer who is Caucasian without a Phd, is upsetting and goes to further reinforce stereotypes.
The Kerner Commission of 1968 was a commission set up that looked at the news media and its portrayal of issues in the United States. It found that the news had fell victim to 'white privilege', and that the issues were seen through a white perspective. They noticed that the news would make a judgement on whether or not something was news worthy, and this in turn would affect how an audience viewed the world. The news would want to represent the views of the population majority, e.g. Caucasian. These findings are very relevant to what we are talking about in class, as it explains why the newsroom is often not very diverse (because it does not convey the ideas of the white majority.) Also this explains the way that news and the information chosen to discuss is often viewed in society.
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