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DeVries
Jared DeVries
Professor Freed
LDS 1301: Introduction to Leadership
11/14//2014
Race and Media: An Analysis of Power and Identity in Ferguson
Contemporary media is a powerful source for information. Media is the projection
of events and actions to the public. Conventional outlets, like radio and television,
combined with social media like Facebook and Twitter are all tools used to formulate and
establish opinions. These opinions guide our conversations and beliefs. There is no
question that media has an influence over our lives. However, the capacity to which the
media impacts us is a question we must consider. Leadership techniques can also be
analyzed through the media lens by observing rhetorical processes in media. These
techniques allow us to formulate a definition of leadership that transcends the classroom
into the real world. The media topic that I will analyze is the ongoing protests of the
shooting of Michael Brown. Officer Darren Wilson shot Michael Brown, an unarmed
black teenager, on August 9th. The community erupted in protest and anger in front of a
national television audience, prompting an address from the President of the United
States among other important leaders hoping and praying for peace. Leadership is
important in the context of media because they have the ability to establish public opinion
on issues. Their ideas resonate with the public and provide a framework for others to
cling to.
Media coverage of the Ferguson shooting was perpetual and widespread. After the
shooting, primetime television was devoted to covering the rioting and looting in

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downtown Ferguson. Ferguson became synonymous with injustice over the course of a
few weeks due to the constant media coverage. This media coverage has hit home as
well, with the names of one of Baylors intramural teams being Ferguson PD (Platt).
The media has prompted the national discussion of race and its impact on the United
States. The national public has been bombarded with violent images that rapture the
attention of the nation. Historically, crime news has always been popular with the masses.
This type of attention is not novel in itself, but the way in which the news is delivered has
become almost sensational. The yellow-journalism of the early 20 th century and the
commercialization of news mediums in the 80s and 90s has given way to a new medium
of news delivery. Social media has taken the world by storm in its capacity to deliver
information in almost real time (Surette 19). Social media is capable of delivering news
even before established news corporations get the chance. Suddenly we have the ability
to deliver our own news, but this presents a dangerous situation. How are we able to
maintain the integrity of social media without perverting its original message? In the
context of the situation in Ferguson, how are we able to discern the truth in the age of
real-time news? It becomes hard to see the truth when different accounts blur the reality
of the situation. According to Kane, representation in any medium is very important in
determining motive (Kane). Motive allows the public to perceive an underlying
movement in the actions caused.
Leadership is an opportunity to make an impact on the lives of others. It enables
and empowers those who are weak and feeble. Leadership renders the community
stronger. An aspect observed on the coverage of the trial of Officer Darren Wilson is the
absence of leadership. Total chaos engulfed the town, but violence was not observed

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locally. Protests were also seen in St. Louis and New York. The response of the trial
resulted in a loss of control by the law enforcement of Ferguson. Cars and buildings were
burnt, businesses were ransacked and people were injured. Jessica Dinh, an author of The
Leadership Quarterly, acknowledges that, leaders are influential in determining the fate
of their organizations through their decisions, strategies, and influence on others (Dinh).
People are able to project an influence on others, but what is happening in Ferguson?
Who is to blame for the destruction? A combination of miscommunication, racial
prejudice and the inability to reconcile is the blame for the chaos in Ferguson. Integrity is
a founding tenet of leadership because it is firm in its convictions. Honesty, truthfulness
and respect are all things that display a sense of leadership. According to the account
given by the Grand Jury, Michael Brown was heckling and provoking Officer
Wilson. While this by no means justify the killings, it does give context to the action.
President Obama addressed the nation on the results of the Grand Jury, consoling those
afflicted by violence and hatred to pray for peace. His image on the television was
juxtaposed with the image of a burning Ferguson, an ironic testament to the state of race
relations within the United States. The Civil Rights movement occurred in the 1960s, a
century after the Civil War and yet we are still embroiled with the issue of race.
If race persists as a problem provoked by the media, where are the leaders that can
accurately diagnose the problem? Who is able to discern what is right and wrong if it
concerns race? Identity goes hand in hand with race because it is a fundamental part of
who we are. Human beings associate with what is seen. Race is an issue because we look
different. To argue otherwise is ignorant. Difference drives change, a saying that
transcends context. Martin Luther King Jr., a pioneer in the Civil Rights movement, is

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quoted as saying, Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each
other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they can
not communicate; they can not communicate because they are separated. Human
behavior dictates that fear stems from a misunderstanding of the unknown. The AfricanAmerican race, long persecuted by the Anglo-Americans of the United States, share a
common bond because they share a common identity. This identity is a culmination of
their triumphs and tragedies over the past five centuries. A common thread, bound
together by a common longsuffering, weaves their collective narratives. Thus it becomes
understandable that the African-American community was enraged that an unarmed black
teenager was shot multiple times by a white police officer. It becomes understandable due
to the facts that support the notion of racial profiling by the police over the past 15 years.
It becomes understandable due the research that suggests that black men are six times
more likely to become incarcerated than white men (Drake). This is all due the AfricanAmerican identity and its perception within the media.
Power and identity are adjacent to leadership in that they provide an establishment
for change and growth. Power can energize and disrupt. It can create and destroy. Power
was not used constructively in the response of the Grand Jury results. Leadership can
guide power to do great things. Instead of reacting through rioting and violence, leaders
had the opportunity to project their energy in a constructive manner by showing the world
what it means to reconcile and to transcend difference. Identity contributes to leadership
in that followers must know whom they are following and that leaders must know the
identity of their audience. Reverend Al Sharpton knew whom he was addressing when he
said, The fight aint over after Darren Wilsons resignation. His identity projects his

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beliefs to his followers. As the evangelical leader in the greater African-American
community, his identity resonates with his believers. He is able to project his voice
because his identity is associated with many African-Americans who have felt prejudiced
against. Power and identity are crucial elements of leadership that define endearing traits
of a leader and his or her capacity for change.
A Christian approach would solve the problem of race and media because the
Gospel dispels any notion of difference. Ephesians 4:5 says that One Lord, one faith,
one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you
all. The gospels of Christ endorse a unified view of a common message. Jesus Christ
promises eternal life to everyone who believes in Him. If people were to ignore the
bombarding news media and realize that Christian teachings align with truth and justice,
this world would be a peaceful place. Rev. Shaun Ellison Jones of Ferguson said that she
was tired of living a certain way in [this] city (Davey). The churches of Ferguson are
promoting activism to change the wording of specific legislation. Mayor James Knowles
III says that Now is the time for the city of Ferguson to begin its healing process, with
the citizens of Ferguson and the police department (Davey). The Christian approach
takes into account the sufferings of the human race and forgives those who sin. We all
have the capacity to suffer. This notion of suffering makes the gospel endearing and
timeless in its ability to convict the heart of humanity.
In conclusion, the media has a huge impact on the issue of race in the United
States. This was evident in the backlash against the results from the Grand Jury. The
Grand Jury was the most capable collection of individuals able to make a sound
judgement on the case against Darren Wilson. The media distorted the evidence through

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its sensationalized account of events. The national reaction to the Grand Jury prompted a
racial discussion on the status of civil rights. Power and identity are provoked in the
national debacle in that the media influences national opinion. These two elements
provided the framework where leadership is able to gain influence. Local churches are
beginning to repair a broken Ferguson with its Christ-oriented message. The darkest night
comes just before the day, and the day is coming for Ferguson and the United States,
where Martin Luther King Jrs dream will finally ring true.

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Works Cited
Collay, Michelle. "Developing leadership identity through critical reflection: voice,
knowledge and advocacy." Reflective Practice ahead-of-print (2014): 1-13.
Davey, Monica and Mitch Smith. Churches Urge Healing, but Also Activism, After
Stormy Week in Ferguson. New York Times. 21 Nov. 2014, natl ed.: A4. Print.
Dinh, Jessica E., et al. "Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current
theoretical trends and changing perspectives." The Leadership Quarterly 25.1
(2014): 36-62.
Drake, Bruce. "Incarceration Gap Widens Between Whites and Blacks." Fact Tank. Pew
Research Center, 2013. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Eligon, John and Julie Bosman. Tactics Are Set For a Decision From Ferguson. New
York Times. 17 Nov. 2014, natl ed.: A1. Print.
Kane, Gerald C. and Alavi, Maryam and Labianca, Giuseppe (Joe) and Borgatti, Steve,
Whats Different About Social Media Networks? A Framework and Research
Agenda (March 1, 2012). MIS Quarterly, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=2239249
Platt, John. "The Baylor Lariat." Racial Tension, Ferguson Talk over Panel of Faculty,
Students. Baylor University, 2014. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Surette, Ray. Media, Crime and Criminal Justice. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2011.
Print.