Sociology

Media 12
 Media
Representa
tion and eff
 The ro ects :
le of the me
representat dia in the
ion of socia
ideas with r l groups and
eference to
class, Gende
ethnicity & r,
age (2/3)
  Ethnicity
• Media now tries to avoid the crude stereotyping and
demeaning representation of Black People.

• Overt Racism is no longer tolerated but according

to Hall it has been replaced by Inferential Racism-
Black Ethnicities are represented in ways that stress
their cultural rather than biological difference.

• Part of this representation involves their problematic

nature: minority ethnicities are represented as the
source rather than the victims of social problems
this reflects 2 forms of representation:
① Over-representation

• Klimkiewicz they are overrepresented in areas like

news and fiction as perpetuators and victims.

• E.g. UK news reporting of Africa represents black

ethnicities as victims of natural disasters such as floods,
famines etc AND perpetuators of man made disasters
involving wars and corruption.

• Ethnic minorities are mainly viewed through a white, M.C

and Male Gaze

• In news reporting, white people are represented as saviors

through things like the Govt & public aid/charity
② Under- representation

• They are underrepresented in areas such as

advertising

• Sreberny Contemporary TV representations involve

two dimensional characters, often negatively
stereotyped

• Morris illustrates this through the experience of

Roma Minorities they were criticized for not fitting
the stereotype of the true gypsy while simultaneously
represented as dirty, parasitic and living outside the
law etc
 The White Gaze

• Carrington White Gaze extends to positive black

images constructed around cultural spaces such as
sport, fashion and music.

• He calls these representations hyper- blackness which

promotes stereotypes of black bodies in terms of
‘athleticism and animalism’ (the idea these features
od black excellence are “natural”) .

• Further aspect of White Gaze? Representation of

Ethnic Minorities in terms of their “Otherness”- how
“they” are different from “Us”
• This is usually constructed in terms of cultural
difference as the cause of social problem.

• Gilroy This is a new racism that focuses on culutral

differences

• Scientifically discredited notions of race focused on

biological differences such as skin color, new racism is
based on differences in language, religion and family
life.

• “Otherness” is also represented by threat :

i. Cultural Threats That challenge a dominant, white
way of life through practices such as arranged and
forced marriages or the notion of Shariah Law, a legal
system based on Islamic religious principles.

ii. Physical Threats In terms of terrorism and

criminality. E.g. Hall et al moral panics abt black
muggers in the 1970’s and recent claims by the
Metropolitan police that mugging in London is
predominantly a black crime
  Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups
• Ofcom survey Ethnic minorities consume a huge
proportion of new media such as mobile phones, internet etc

• Adults from ethnic minority groups are more confident abt

using interactive functions on digital devices like TV, they
download more music, TV programs than the general UK
population.

• E.g. Pakistanis and Indians spend the most time online than
any other adults in the UK

• They have a well developed stance on Media technology

however, their everyday experiences aren’t really reflected
much in the Media
• Media representations of Ethnic Minorities is
problematic because they are shaped by what media
professionals think that the majority of white audience
wants to see

• These representations are usually negatively

stereotyped this goes on to show that our societies are
In fact racist and not as much tolerant as we like them to
be and they discriminate us on the basis of our class,
ethnicity, religion etc

• Ethnic minorities are either negatively stereotyped or

underrepresented in the media they are usually
presented as a problem e.g. black people are usually
associated with physical rather than intellectual activities
 Stereotypical Representations

• Akinti TV coverage of ethnic minorities over focus on

crime e.g. Aids in Africa, underachievement in schools

• They ignore the culture of a huge black audience, their

diverse interests and their contributions to the society.

• Black Crime and violence is linked to ethnic minority

groups in the media Back people esp African
Caribbean's are portrayed as criminals in Tabloid press-
they are shown as being involved in drugs & violence
• Akinti TV reflects inaccurate view of black life such as
just focusing on Gun Crime

• Agbetu Black people are only interested in criminal

activities, sports and entertainment according to the
Media.

• They are shown as perpetuators of crime rather than as

victims since black people are troublesome but
exciting, they are thought to be newsworthy because they
always make the “Bad News”.

• The language used by the journalists to describe racism

faced by ethnic minorities is biased as it puts the blame
on them and shows them as perpetuators of all troubles
  Moral Panics & Rap Music
• Moral Panics Black crimes like drugs, gangs and Gun
Culture

• Gangsta Rap lyrics contribute to an increase in Gun Crime.

• Best and Kellner Rap lyrics reveal how black people

experience and live their lives, it gives them a voice to
express themselves, they are able to communicate their
anger and sense of injustice through it, it’s a symbol of black
identity and it celebrates black culture and style etc

• Rap music highlights racism & oppression and hopelessness

of the inner city & experience of Deprivation
• Rap also has a lot of contradictory effects it’s racist,
sexist, glorifies violence, images and role models are
problematic, celebrates outlaws, drug dealers and
pimps etc.

• Some rappers also direct their anger towards other

members of the society such as women or
homosexuals rather than those who are responsible
for their exploitation and oppression.

• Reach Report by the Govt Violence within the black

community was partly because media failed to
portray black males positively
• These negative representations such as that of Drug Dealers,
Gangsters effect the aspirations of young black people,
lowered their expectations, self esteem and confidence.

• Cashmore The Lifestyle that are promoted by the Media

culture are responsible for shaping the identities of black
youth.

• Mitchell Rap music makes everything abt money, it

undermines and reinforces society’s values e.g. “you are
what you own”

• Designer stuff, luxuries etc portrayed in videos are

problematic for people who don’t have access to these things
• Sewell & Cashmore Socioeconomic factors are more
reliable explanation for gang activity than the music
teenagers are listening to

• Mitchell Hip Hop is much more than violence

artists rap abt a lot of issues like politics and race
awareness

• Critics of Rap Music ignore the violent content of

other genres of music

• Music, films, TV, computer games are a convenient

scapegoat for social problems which are complex and
a result of structural inequalities
  Race, Migration and Media
• Philo & Beattie Moral panics usually arise because of media
representations of issues such as immigration and asylum seekers.

• Journalists portray them as problems, threats and people who take

advantage of the UK’s health and benefit systems.

• Media ignores the contribution they make to the economy or the

fact that asylum seekers are usually escaping torture and poverty
in their home countries.

• News abt immigration is usually xenophobic and reinforces British

Identity

• Because media portrays asylum seekers in a negative light, they

face racial harassment by local residents.
  Media Representations of Islam and Muslims
• Poole Before 9/11 media representations of Islam were negative
and Muslims were stereotyped as conservative, backward,
irrational, unchanging fundamentalists and misogynists who
threaten and manipulate in the name of their faith and personal
gain

• Content Analysis of British broadsheet newspapers b/w 1993-

1996 British Muslims were considered as a threat to UK security
and mainstream values

• Richardson Empirical Study British Muslims were usually

absent from the news and when they were present, they were
portrayed negatively.

• News media doesn’t address everyday issues and concerns of

Muslim communities living in the UK
• Whitaker 4 stereotypes are persistent in news stories abt
Muslims:

1) Intolerant, 2) Misogynist, 3) Violent or cruel AND

4) Strange or Different

• Nahdi Media portrays Islam in a very negative light

since media wants quick and easy stories, this has
legitimized the voice of Extremist Islam

• They focus on a small minority of Muslims

(fundamentalists) and assume that the whole Muslim
Community is like that instead of focusing on the fact that
Islam has over 1 billion followers worldwide and has many
different perspectives so actions of some people doesn’t
apply to the community as a whole
• Moore et al study 4 most news worthy and common
stories abt British Muslims:

1) Terrorism, 2) Religious & Cultural issues,

3) Community Relations & 4) Attacks on Muslims

• News stories abt Muslims contain 4 ideological msgs abt

Islam:

i. Islam is dangerous, backward and irrational as compared

to Western thought and actions.

ii. Multiculturalism, Diversity & tolerance is allowing

extremist Islam too much freedom to spread it’s anti
western views in Muslim communities
iii. Clash of civilizations b/w Democratic and Free west and
an oppressive Islam which restricts the rights of women,
homosexuals etc

iv. Islam is a threat to the British way of life- it’s portrayed

as the reason for many problems that exist today in
Britain.

• Ameli et al Media discussions around wearing of hijab

or burka or veil is problematic because it is made out to
be inferior than other forms of dressing

• It is shown as being oppressive and misogynistic for

women who are thought of having a subordinate position
in society
• Hasan British newspaper journalists can be
categorized into 3 groups:

i. Those who regularly speak out against bigotry

(intolerance/prejudice) against Muslims

ii. Those who see Muslims as alien, hostile and

threatening and regularly call for stricter controls in
Europe

iii. The biggest group those who are silent on the

subject of Islamophobia
• Muslims are labelled as extremist Islamists on Media
websites.

• Minority ethnic audience doesn’t appreciate the fact

that media fails to differentiate b/w different Asian
groups which have distinct cultures

• They don’t want to be labelled as Asians, instead they

want the media to identify them on the basis of their
cultural identities.

• Asian people feel that the treatment of Arranged

marriages was often inaccurate in the media
• Media fails to distinguish b/w Forced marriage
( which is strongly disapproved in Asian
communities) and Arranged marriage (which
happens with mutual consent).

• Media divided Asians into 2 categories:

① Miserable folks being forced into loveless marriages

② Billionaires who had come to Britain with nothing

and had now made a fortune
  Minority Ethnic Groups as Unimportant
• Van Dijk some sections of the media imply that lives
of white people are more imp than lives of ethnic
minorities

• News abt disasters in other countries is usually

restricted to a few lines esp if the population isn’t
white.

• Ligali (British African Pressure Group) Black

victims of crime aren’t paid the same degree of
attention as white victims of crime
  Minority Ethnic Groups as Dependent
• Govts of developing countries are considered as
inadequate to solve problems like corruption,
population growth, unstable politics etc

• They are portrayed as dependent on the West to help

them sort out their problems British media makes
sure that it highlights their charity work in the media
a lot if they choose to help these countries

• GUMG Media stories abt developing world are

focused on bad news, war, conflict, terrorism instead
of analyzing how or why they are facing these
problems
• British news reporting is Ethnocentric Shaped by
the view that British white culture is superior in it’s
values and norms compared to other cultures.

• Activities of other cultures are reported as deficient,

inferior and strange.

 Minority Ethnic Groups as Invisible

• BBC news online survey Black and Asian people

were better represented as newscasters and TV
journalists as well as in comedy and TV but UK still
has a long way to go because even still there are many
problem areas :
① Minority Ethnic Groups are given limited roles in media
content

② Tokenism Soap operas only include ethnic minorities

because they think they “should”

③ Realism Black and Asian people are rarely shown as

ordinary people who just happen to be black or Asian

④ Ghettoization (to confine or constrict to a particular area)

TV programs dedicated to minority issues ghettoize such
issues by being schedules at times (e.g. very early or very
late)

⑤ Media personnel media content is mainly focused on the

interests of white people
  Conclusion
• Media professionals from ethnic backgrounds respond to these
inequalities and prejudices by developing media institutions
and agencies which specifically target the interests and
concerns of ethnic minority audiences.

• Some work with established system by developing aspects of

institutional media like BBC Asian Digital network.

• Other minority ethnic media originate from outside such as

ZeeTv which keeps people in touch with Indian, Pakistani and
Bangladeshi culture and news

• They are also home grown media agencies owned and

controlled by ethnic minorities including magazines &
newspapers, radio stations & new media websites etc