What to do with all of this power??

“The media has the power to chronicle American history by using journalism as a tool to break down stereotypes, help educate, present the truth and influence the public. The media also can educate people about other cultures and create bridges between people that would otherwise have nothing in common...Journalists have the ability to change people’s lives every day, but how they use their power to influence is crucial.” – Fundamentals of Interactive Journalism Blog

It has been found that the information the media presents to the American public can, indeed, both effectively inform and incite action amidst the American people.  News agendas, in a critical yet disturbing time, were controlled by media giants such as monopolies and conglomerates that ruled the world of journalism and therefore, in a sense, ruled the world.  Now, the public seems to have more say.  However, even when the public cries out for more positive coverage or stories because they feel that the news is depressing or overly negative, the response of the media is to focus on that which is controversial, that which represents the “seed-ier” side of life, that which will invoke disgust (yet interest) and that which typically depicts (and sometimes even glorifies) sexual, criminal, racial or hateful improprieties.  Sometimes, it’s hard to say exactly who is controlling what we see. 

Are producers putting things on the air and in the newspapers because they know we are interested in those topics or are we being convinced that certain issues are important and others are not? 

After the 9/11 attacks on the United States and the subsequent mobilization into an international war, the press initially acted as an effective publicity tool for the government’s war agenda.  Some blame the media for lacking in its overt sense of curiosity and skepticism and “buying into” a war that has caused the country much heartache and has cost us many human lives.  With the deeply entrenched and heavy emotions that were linked to the great losses of the September 11 terrorist attacks, it was easy to instill the natural by-product of a great sense of patriotism and unity in the American people.  Someone came in and invaded our homeland, taking the lives of our fellow citizens, and making each one of us slightly question our sanity and safety.  The press, then, used an appeal to ethos to heighten their effectiveness and convince the American people that a war on terror was exactly what we needed.  Were they right or wrong? That is difficult to determine. There were so many components that played into the development of this on-going war.  However, it is undeniable that the press did have an impact on the thought-processes of the American public.  Even now, nearly eight years after the initial attack, it is easy to conjure up images of embedded journalists rolling across the desert in combat gear telling the story of a war aimed at annihilating an evil enemy.

As objective as we purport to be, it is difficult to be emotionless, especially when it comes to hardcore, heart-stopping, “right-in-the-middle-of-the-action” reporting. 

Yet in reality, it’s all about perspective…the perspective which someone is reporting from, the countless perspectives from which a single report can be viewed, and the perspectives of those choosing what content is and is not supposedly “newsworthy”.  As Melody Spann-Cooper points out, it’s not about entertainment first, it’s about education.  Some things that the biased white media thinks, for instance, are comedic in nature or convey a unique tragic event are very often everyday occurrences for some other minority groups.  In many ways, it can be a positive to have media that specifically represents different interests and races. For instance, I will attempt to show how different medias are specifically geared toward special interests.  I love reading Golf Digest, PR Weekly and health magazines.  The reason I pay homage to these publications is because they speak to my personal interests and things that will affect me.  At the same time, having media that speak to and for minority groups can truly hit home in their daily lives.  While I could read Good Housekeeping magazine, and try to be aware of what is going on in the world of moms and housewives across America, I am more thoroughly concerned and willing to put time into things that will readily affect MY daily life. I pay more attention to publications that cover PR tactics and how to hit a straighter drive down the fairway instead of how to organize my closet, decorate a room on a dime, or save money with coupon-clipping.  Though these are interesting things to know and could even be beneficial for my long-term well-being, it may not be material that sells to GolfWeek’s target publics. 

Even though more coverage of minority groups and the REAL issues plaguing society as a WHOLE today would be much better for the public’s overall mental health, it has not been implemented on large scales for the MOST part because this content is so controlled by producers who are worried about the bottom line numbers of profits and circulation and not usually about the actual people behind those numbers.  A challenge that media professionals must face up to is that of becoming TRULY people-oriented…to reach ALL people and consider where multiple audiences are coming from and what they need.  It is very difficult to get mainstream media to concentrate on a wide array of subjects that will reach more diverse audiences because of the fact that they are catering to specific target audiences.  Even more unfortunately, most times, those audiences are almost completely comprised of white males.

Though times are beginning to change, which can be seen even in the significant and typically positive coverage of President Obama over the course of his presidential campaign, the media tends to still push stereotypical images of minorities, along with the problems and situations they correlate with those groups. Even though a successful, affluent Black male could have absolutely no part in gang activity, heavy crime, or welfare issues, such issues are still those that are very much so portrayed to depict and are, unfortunately, naturally associated with this group.  In the news, groups such African-Americans and also, Hispanics, are usually the first to be connected to thoughts of criminality and unlawful acts. 

Partiality in powerful American systems in the media and even the government can be seen in cases such as Jena Six.  “The Jena Six are a group of black students who are being charged with attempted murder for beating up a white student who was taunting them with racial slurs, and continued to support other white students who hung three nooses from the high schools "white tree" which sits in the front yard.” - http://www.jenasix.org/

While this event was covered locally in Louisiana, for a time, little was known outside of the region about the Jena Six incidents.  In addition, many errors and missteps were made throughout the time when the assault was covered.  Results of the media coverage of Jena Six and the acquiescent rallies and protests that it has stirred could vary.  On one end of the spectrum, necessary discussion regarding the presence of white privilege throughout the American justice system could lead to changes in that system that hark back to the same equal treatment sought by those active in the days of the Civil Rights movement.  On the other hand, however, the recurring thoughts that allegations against the six young men were racially motivated have deepened the divide and grown a heightened sense of resentment in both the African-American and Caucasian communities against one another yet again. 

Also being discussed more heavily in the media are stories surrounding Proposition 8. Due to press coverage and intense feelings regarding the issues in the ballot proposition which supports the elimination of marriage rights for homosexual couples in California, it has become one of the largest-funded campaigns on the state ballot and has gained recognition on the national level.  Also, legal action from gay couples, along with protestors both in support of and against the proposition, has gained coverage with specific news networks. 

In addition, recently, the use of social media outlets has skyrocketed and have become the newest communication tools give new perspectives and support, and in some cases, “shout out” intense opposition to current social situations. For instance, these, coupled with the mainstays of editorials, have been used to not only discuss the singular incident in Jena on December 4, but also to bring up the larger issues of racial discrimination and racial tension that the authors believe ignited and fueled the flame. 

Also, even on social networking sites such as Facebook, petitions and group invites in support of daily happenings and social protests have been circulating at levels of growing intensity. Groups both opposing and in support of Proposition 8 have experienced exponential membership growth.  Simply type Jena Six or Proposition 8 into the Facebook “Search” box and a barrage of results will follow.  

Jena Six:   http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=2b67140f5d2ad925a9b1ace6048f94ee&gid=5185996913

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=2b67140f5d2ad925a9b1ace6048f94ee&gid=5299508083

Prop 8:  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=2b67140f5d2ad925a9b1ace6048f94ee&gid=2870190990

 http://www.facebook.com/group.php?sid=7197e529839898a6fb73e7cc6abb4d2a&gid=33334700913

Many of these types of more sympathetic media outlets have shown the possible injustices that have been imposed, for instance, on the Jena Six as it relates to their treatment throughout their arrests and trials, invoking the idea that if they were white, the situation and concurrent punishment would be handled very differently.  A site called glaadblog.org states the importance of equal coverage. 

“It’s important for the media to cover this story and cover it with a fair, accurate, and inclusive.” 

While we must remember that social networks such as blogs, Twitter, etc. cannot always be deemed trust worthy in the information they present and are obviously openly biased, we must also recognize that no news station is truly able to report situations objectively.  These new media forms that both provide information and support for movements are ways to gain fresh and real perspective on the many angles that can be taken on extremely controversial and dividing issues that plague our country today.  An added conflict is that these organizations are businesses and as businesses, they have a product to “sell.”  In order to stay in business, they must communicate that which “sells.” Unfortunately, for those looking for positive, upbeat and equitable treatment of all peoples, this is not what “sells.”      

Just as the coverage of Jena Six inspires a plethora of emotions among vast audiences of people, the media coverage of the Civil Rights Movement both benefitted the movement and hindered its progress, in some cases.  An article published by the Museum of Broadcast Communication states, “As civil rights workers organized mass boycotts and civil disobedience campaigns to end legal segregation and white supremacist terror in the South, white segregationists mounted a counter-offensive that was swift and too often violent. Medgar Evers and other civil rights activists were assassinated. Black churches, businesses and residences with ties to the movement were bombed. Although this escalation of terror was intended to thwart the Civil Rights Movement, it had the effect of broadening support for civil rights.”

While a few newspapers tried to deter people from the horrendous ways that groups such as the KKK were dealing with supporters and leaders of the Civil Rights movement, their coverage actually helped.  It aided the cause by increasing the membership of the “Invisible Empire” because the brutal ways of the terrorist organization were being highlighted and therefore, seen by many people who agreed with the principles that the Klan promoted.  However, on the opposition front, coverage of events such as the vicious murder of Emmet Till and the acquittal of the white suspects in that case led to the augmentation in the ranks of civil rights supporters. 

In conclusion, I want to be a media professional because I realize that people in this field have the incredible opportunity and freedom to speak to and for masses and masses of people.  But we HAVE to remember exactly that…we are talking to and about the daily happenings in the lives of human beings. I, along with others, have an intense desire to create news agendas that speak to a wider variety of people living in real time in real life.  While realizing that as a human being, it is impossible to be perfectly, 100% objective, I must take the initiative to heighten the standards of media tools such as broadcast and print news.  As a media professional, I must require of myself and of my peers more equal and full coverage of an assortment of issues that pertain to multiple groups…not simply the normative standard of an American viewer.  Our world is not black and white, so why should our news be? We live side by side, and even while clashes and tension occur in the cases of some, we continue to coexist.  And peacefully coexist we must.  We need more media outlets that are ready to take on the challenge to portray THAT type of coexistence. 

For more information, please see: 

Fair Media Coverage: http://glaadblog.org/2009/03/06/media-coverage-of-prop-8-hearings/

Reporting Civil Rights: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/civilrights/civilrights.htm

http://blogs.journalism.cuny.edu/interactivefundamentals/2008/10/16/the-media-and-the-civil-rights-movement/

Images obtained:

Equal love: http://election2008.advocate.com/2008/11/seattle-rallies.html

Civil Rights Issues: http://gayspirituality.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341d27db53ef010535f1d268970b-800wi

Civil Rights Movement: http://www.museum.tv/archives/etv/C/htmlC/civilrights/civilrights.htm