It
is one of the least understood paradoxes of contemporary times: As our nation is
experiencing the most dramatic demographic transformation in history, Americans
are becoming less familiar with members of their diverse
communities. Part of the explanation for
this trend, sociologists tell us, is that our nation’s schools, churches,
residential communities and social groups are becoming more racially segregated. This may not come as a surprise since people
generally spend more time with others that share something in common,
including race or ethnicity, economic
standing, religious or political beliefs, or
general lifestyles. What is perhaps less understood, however, is
the extent to which our nation’s journalists and media contribute to this
increasing segregation of our communities. For various reasons, I believe that the
role of media segregation deserves our collective attention.
Journalistic
blind spots are common practices by media professionals that portray
communities of color through a distorted lens – as unfavorable, less visible or
perhaps insignificant – practices that reinforce stereotypes and continued
segregation amidst continued growth and diversity. Following are a few
observations from my past years in evaluating mass media that illustrate my
concerns. While these observations are based primarily on media trends in Texas
and the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area, it is likely that geographic areas
throughout the U.S. have had similar experiences.
· Anointing
of Ethnic Leaders: Have you ever wondered why journalists
often use the terms “Black leader” or “Latino leader” in news stories, but are
careful to avoid the use of the term “white leader”? Whether deserved or not, the practice tends
to elevate the importance of the opinions expressed by these “leaders,” which
may or may not represent their communities. Journalists are hard-pressed to
explain this practice.
· Biased
Political Coverage: News
sources are not always objective in their coverage of political candidates. In
a recent mayoral election, for example, a Latino candidate’s electability was
an ongoing topic of local news stories, describing the candidate as having “no
chance of winning” against the incumbent white candidate. The curious placement
of a story about the Latino candidate next to the obituary section of the
newspaper reinforced the news bias even further. And in yet another political story discussing
Latino support for Donald Trump in Texas, the reporter chose to discuss the
only poll that showed the highest support for candidate Trump, while
acknowledging the substandard quality of this poll’s methodology and overlooking
more credible polls that placed Latino support for Trump at a much lower level.
Whether intentional or not, these practices inject unnecessary bias in news
stories that describe the Latino political campaigns and voter sentiments.
· The
Usual Suspects: The sentiments of people of color,
especially local ones, are often invisible in news stories or op-ed sections.
It is not for a lack of opinions or an absence of experts since there are many
people of color that are able to articulate their points of view on a variety
of topics. Instead, journalists often take the path of least resistance and utilize
the “usual suspects” – that is, the same academics, business or civic members –
which discourages a diversity of ideas. To further influence public sentiment
on a controversial issue, the editorial staff of news organizations will offer
their own point of view. For example, recent local news coverage about the
possible loss of ABA accreditation for the UNT Dallas School of Law has been
largely negative, while ignoring local community sentiments that are supportive
of the law school. Communities of color, in particular, are in dire need of a
more affordable legal education and more Black and Latino attorneys to serve
their needs. The law school needs more, not less, advocacy on this issue. The practice of selecting the “usual
suspects” may be convenient but does not contribute to a diversity of ideas –
something that can be remedied by expanding the pool of the usual suspects.
· Predictable
News Coverage: Past studies of mass media content
coverage show that the majority of news coverage about Latinos has been
concentrated in just four areas: crime,
immigration, poverty, and under-achievement. Similarly, news coverage of
African Americans is often saturated with stories about racial profiling and
police relations, criminal investigations of high profile politicians and
celebrities, and school-related problems. With this constant diet of negative
news stories about Blacks and Latinos, is it any wonder that residential communities
are becoming more racially segregated? These
negative portrayals have impacted the decisions by supermarket chains and other
businesses to serve these communities, which are perceived as having little
economic potential – leading the Dallas City Council to offer a $1 million
incentive to encourage business development in these communities. Such negative
news stories, however, often tell an incomplete story about communities of
color.
· The
Curious Absence of Commerce: It is a rare day indeed that
journalists will cover a topic that relates to the business or economic
vitality of communities of color – almost as if it does not exit. This should not be so difficult in a metro
area where minority-owned businesses contribute significantly to the area’s
economy. In the most recent Survey of Business Owners, the Census Bureau tells
us that in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area, there were 80,994 Black, 117,592
Hispanic and 52,456 Asian business owners with 2012 sales of $37 billion. In addition, the aggregate household
income (or crude measure of buying power) for Black, Latino and Asian consumers
totals to $63.3 billion – or 31
percent of the metro’s total buying power of $204 billion. Despite the large
presence of minority-owned businesses and surveys that document the consumer
behavior and buying power of multicultural consumers, business journalists seem
to find it more rewarding to cover ethnic celebrations, food, and occasional
problems at ethnic chambers of commerce. Clearly, there is significant room for
improvement in the business section of news media.
· Segregated
media: The failure of mainstream media to address the
information needs of diverse communities has fueled the growth of ethnic media,
which often provides more relevant content to its audiences. However, this
trend has further segregated our communities as mainstream journalists and
media become increasingly comfortable with the notion that ethnic media are
best suited to handle news about ethnic communities. Segregated media,
unfortunately, further decreases the likelihood that community residents will
become familiar with the lifestyles and achievements of other members of their
communities, especially in areas like economics, civic and political
participation, educational attainment, technology, scientific innovations, and
religion.
Of course, the media industry is only one
of many factors that contribute to the increasing segregation of our
communities. Nonetheless, journalists and media executives need to be held
accountable for the role that their media products play in creating and
reinforcing the negative stereotypes and unbalanced portrayals of communities
of color. Hiring more Black and Latino
journalists, while important, is not sufficient as long as the final word on news
content remains in the hands of media executives who are indifferent to these
blind spots. We will know when we have
achieved some measure of success when mainstream media, in particular, begins to
include more balanced news content about communities of color, expands the
diversity of views by local opinion writers or experts, and utilizes more credible
opinion polls of our communities. By eliminating these blind spots, media
executives will likely expand the diversity of ideas in news reports, include
more balanced portrayals of communities of color, and perhaps become more
relevant to their diverse news audiences.
