C1: Media Representations of Ethnicity part 1

Summary

This screencast explores media representations of ethnicity, emphasizing that what we see is a constructed interpretation of reality, not neutral. It discusses how media often under or misrepresents social groups, using stereotypes, which can reinforce negative perceptions and social divisions. The example of black crime coverage in British media illustrates these issues, suggesting media's role in fostering intolerance and moral panics.

Takeaways

• 📺 Media representation is a constructed version of reality, not a neutral reflection.
• 🌐 The media filters social reality and influences audience perceptions through selective editing.
• 🚫 Media representations are often partial and biased, reflecting ideological power.
• 👥 Sociological work has focused on media representations of various social groups, including ethnic minorities.
• 🔍 The way media represents social groups can shape public attitudes, behavior, and politics.
• 🙅‍♂️ Symbolic annihilation refers to the absence or underrepresentation of certain groups in the media.
• 📛 Misrepresentation in media can distort the public's view of specific societal groups.
• 🏆 Stereotypes are fixed and overgeneralized beliefs about a group, often perpetuated by media.
• 🇬🇧 Ethnic minority groups are often underrepresented or negatively stereotyped in British media.
• 🚔 Negative stereotypes associate ethnic minorities with criminality, particularly in tabloid press.
• 🏢 Media's portrayal of black people as criminals can lead to moral panics and social divisions.

Q & A

What is the concept of media representation?

Media representation refers to the idea that what we see in the media is constructed and not a neutral reflection of reality. It is an interpretation of social reality that is shaped, selected, and edited to influence audience perceptions.

How does media representation influence society?

Media representations can shape public attitudes, behavior, and politics towards certain social groups. They can reinforce negative stereotypes and contribute to social divisions.

What is symbolic annihilation?

Symbolic annihilation is a term coined by Tuchman that refers to the absence or under-representation of certain groups in the media, making them invisible or less visible to the public.

What is misrepresentation in media?

Misrepresentation in media is when media portrayals offer a distorted view of a particular group in society, often through the use of stereotypes.

Why is the representation of ethnic minorities in media important?

The representation of ethnic minorities is important because it can affect how these groups are perceived and treated in society. It can either promote tolerance and multiculturalism or perpetuate racism and division.

What are some negative stereotypes associated with ethnic minorities in the British media?

Some negative stereotypes include the association of ethnic minorities, particularly black people, with criminality, as often portrayed in the tabloid press.

What did Nick Davis's content analysis of the Daily Mail reveal about the portrayal of black people?

Nick Davis's analysis revealed that 64% of the pictures of black people in the Daily Mail's news and features pages over a 9-month period were exclusively of criminals such as muggers, murderers, and rapists.

What is moral panic and how is it related to media representation of race?

Moral panic is an intense feeling in the population about a particular issue or social group that appears to threaten the social order. It is related to media representation of race because media stereotypes can contribute to moral panics, as seen in reactions to the London riots where black culture was blamed.

Who is Stuart Hall and what did he highlight about the relationship between media representations and moral panics?

Stuart Hall is a sociologist who highlighted the relationship between media representations of race and moral panics in his book 'Policing the Crisis'. He discussed how stereotyping and scapegoating of black youths were used to divert attention from social and economic problems.

What are some other myths and negative stereotypes about ethnic minorities in the media that will be discussed in the next screencast?

While the script does not specify, it implies that future discussions will explore additional myths and stereotypes that affect the perception of ethnic minorities in society.

How might media representations undermine the concept of a tolerant multicultural society?

Media representations that perpetuate negative stereotypes and social divisions based on color, ethnicity, and religion can undermine the concept of a tolerant multicultural society by influencing public attitudes and behaviors negatively.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 Media Representations and Ethnicity

This segment introduces the concept of media representations, emphasizing that what we see in the media is a constructed version of reality. Media representations are not neutral; they are partial and often reflect ideological power. Sociologists have extensively studied media representations of various social groups, including ethnic minorities, gender, social classes, age, sexuality, and disability. The media's portrayal of these groups can influence public attitudes and behaviors towards them. The term 'symbolic annihilation' is introduced to describe the absence or under-representation of certain groups in the media, which can lead to misrepresentation through stereotypes. The focus then shifts to the media's portrayal of ethnic minority groups in the British media, which is often criticized for being stereotypical and negative, potentially reinforcing racist stereotypes and social divisions.

05:02

📰 Stereotyping Ethnic Minorities in Media

The second paragraph delves into the specific issue of media stereotyping of ethnic minorities, particularly in relation to criminality. It cites research by Van Dyk indicating that black individuals, especially those of African Caribbean origin, are often portrayed as criminals in the media. The Daily Mail is used as a case study, where an analysis revealed a disproportionate representation of black individuals as criminals. The concept of 'moral panic' is introduced, which refers to the intense public reaction to a perceived threat, often fueled by media portrayals. The historical context of media's role in creating moral panics around black youth in the 1970s is discussed, highlighting how such representations can distract from underlying social and economic issues. The segment concludes by setting the stage for further exploration of negative stereotypes and myths about ethnic minorities in subsequent screencasts.

Keywords

💡Media Representation

Media representation refers to how the media portrays different aspects of society, including people, events, and ideas. It is not a neutral reflection of reality but rather a constructed version influenced by those who create the content. In the script, media representation is highlighted as a key concept, emphasizing that what audiences see is someone else's interpretation of reality, often shaped to influence perceptions.

💡Social Reality

Social reality is the term used to describe the actual conditions and experiences of people in society. The script mentions that media representations filter social reality, suggesting that the media does not present an unbiased view but rather selects and edits content to shape audience understanding.

💡Ideological Power

Ideological power refers to the influence that certain groups or institutions have over the beliefs and values of society. The script discusses how media representations are often a reflection of this power, implying that those in control of media can shape societal views to align with their own ideologies.

💡Symbolic Annihilation

Symbolic annihilation is a term coined by Tuchman, referring to the absence or under-representation of certain groups in the media. The script uses this term to discuss how some social groups, particularly ethnic minorities, are either invisible or poorly represented in media, which can contribute to their marginalization.

💡Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation in the media occurs when certain groups are portrayed inaccurately or in a distorted manner. The script points out that this often happens through the use of stereotypes, which can lead to a skewed public perception of these groups.

💡Stereotypes

Stereotypes are fixed, overgeneralized beliefs about a particular group or class of people. The script explains that stereotypes are used in media to offer a distorted view of certain groups, which can reinforce negative attitudes and behaviors towards them.

💡Ethnic Minority Groups

Ethnic minority groups are those who are in a smaller proportion within a larger national or social group. The script focuses on the media's portrayal of these groups, noting that they are often underrepresented or represented in a negative light, which can perpetuate social divisions.

💡Moral Panic

Moral panic is an intense feeling of concern within society about a perceived threat to societal values or order. The script uses the example of the London riots to illustrate how media coverage can contribute to moral panics, particularly when it involves racial stereotypes.

💡Multicultural Society

A multicultural society is one that includes a variety of different cultural, ethnic, or racial groups. The script discusses how media representations of ethnic minorities can undermine the concept of a tolerant multicultural society by perpetuating stereotypes and divisions.

💡Racial Stereotypes

Racial stereotypes are generalizations about a racial group that are often negative and harmful. The script mentions that one of the most negative stereotypes in the media is associating ethnic minority groups, particularly black people, with criminality.

💡Tabloid Press

The term 'tabloid press' refers to newspapers that focus on sensational stories, often prioritizing entertainment and scandal over in-depth reporting. The script cites research showing that the tabloid press tends to portray black people, especially those of African Caribbean origin, as criminals.

Highlights

Media representations are constructed and not neutral, often reflecting ideological power.

Media representations filter social reality and are shaped to influence audience perceptions.

Sociological work has been done on media representations of various social groups.

Media representations can shape public attitudes, behavior, and politics towards social groups.

Symbolic annihilation refers to the absence or under-representation of certain groups in the media.

Misrepresentation in media can offer a distorted view of a group through stereotypes.

Ethnic minority groups are often underrepresented or stereotyped in British media.

Negative stereotypes in media can reinforce racist attitudes in society.

Media's portrayal of ethnic minorities may undermine a tolerant multicultural society.

The association of ethnic minorities with criminality is a common negative stereotype in the press.

Content analysis of the Daily Mail found a high percentage of images of black people as criminals.

Moral panics often result from media stereotypes of black people as potentially criminal.

Media reactions to the London riots exemplified the moral panic around black culture.

Stuart Hall's work highlighted the relationship between media representations of race and moral panics.

The 1970s saw a moral panic constructed around the stereotype of the black mugger.

Stereotyping and scapegoating of black youths were used to divert attention from societal issues.

The screencast introduces negative stereotypes associated with media representations of ethnic minorities.

Future screencasts will examine other myths and negative stereotypes in media representations.

Transcripts

welcome to the first of two screencasts

looking at media representations of

ethnicity and this is the first section

of a broad and popular examination topic

on media

representations so before we look

specifically at the topic of

ethnicity let's just briefly introduce

this important concept of media

representation so a media

representation refers to the idea that

what we see in the media has been

constructed so what we need to remember

is that although media representations

can be made to appear to be so realistic

that they seem to offer the audience um

a window on the world what we're seeing

is somebody else's

interpretation of

reality so this term media

representation describes the way in

which the media uh show or demonstrate

to the audience a version of the world a

version of social

reality so we need to remember that the

mass media filters social reality and

that all media representations are

therefore shaped selected and edited to

influence audience perceptions as we can

see in this simple diagram so media

representations are not neutral

they are partial uh bias representations

of social reality and they're often a

reflection of ideological

power now a great deal of sociological

work has been done on media

representations of social groups such as

media representations of ethnic

minorities men and women uh social

classes and media representations of age

sexuality and

disability and over over the next series

of screencasts we're going to be

examining uh this important sociological

work and this is an important area of

sociological inquiry because how the

media uh represents these social groups

might in turn help to shape public

attitudes behavior and politics towards

these particular

groups and some of these social groups

might be victims of symbolic and ation

within the mass media and this term

which was coined by um tukman um refers

to the absence of

representation or the under

representation of some group of people

in the media so it refers to the

invisibility of certain groups within

the mass media their under

representation and in addition to being

under represented in the mass media

there might be certain so social groups

who are

misrepresented within the media so

misrepresentation refers to uh the way

in which media

representations might offer us a very

distorted view of a particular group uh

within society and often this happens

through the use of

stereotypes so a

stereotype uh is a fixed overgeneralized

belief about a particular group or class

of people so let's now begin to focus on

media representations of ethnic minority

groups and I think most sociologists

would argue that despite some progress

ethnic minority groups are still

generally under represented within the

British Media or are represented in

stereotyped and negative ways uh across

a range of media so we're going to

explore some of the negative myths and

stereo ypes about ethnic minority groups

that are still very evident uh at least

in some sections of the British mass

media and most sociologists would argue

that these types of

representations are problematic they're

problematic because they contribute to

the reinforcement of negative racist

stereotypes within society as a

whole and the recent Lon inquiry on

press standard

has suggested that media

representations of ethnic minorities may

be undermining the concept of a tolerant

uh Multicultural Society and helping to

perpetuate uh social divisions based on

color uh ethnicity and

religion now one of the most negative

media

stereotypes uh about ethnic minority

groups is their

Association um in some sections of the

the Press with

criminality and black crime is the most

frequent issue found in Media news

coverage of ethnic

minorities so for example Van Dyk found

that black people particularly those of

African Caribbean origin tend to be

portrayed as criminals uh especially in

the Tabloid

press so let's use the Daily Mail as a

case study here so in his recent book

Flat Earth News Nick Davis uh did

content analysis on the pictures which

appeared uh in the daily mail's news and

features pages over a 9month period and

logged the race of their subjects and

found two things firstly he found that

the pictures were overwhelmingly of

white people but secondly perhaps even

more striking far more than anything

else the males photographs of black

people showed the faces of criminals in

fact over this n Monon period

64% of the pictures of black people in

The Daily mailes News and features Pages

were exclusively of muggers murderers

and

rapists and Watson notes that moral

panics often result from the media

stereotype of black people as

potentially criminal and a recent

example of that perhaps is some of the

media reaction to the London riots uh

when for example David starky uh

appeared on BBC News night and appeared

to blame Black Culture uh for the London

riots now moral Panic is an intense

feeling expressed in the population uh

about a particular issue or social group

that appears to Fred in the social order

and the relationship between media

representations of race and moral panics

was first highlighted in the

1970s uh by the sociologist Stuart Hall

in a book called police in the

crisis so in this book Stuart Hull uh

looks at the way in which a moral panic

in the

1970s was constructed around the folk

devil of the black mugger and how this

particular uh stereotyping and

scapegoating of black youths uh was used

to divert attention away from the social

and economic problems of British Society

in the

1970s so in this screencast we've

introduced the concept of media

representations and we've started to

look at some of the negative stereotypes

associated with media representations of

ethnic minorities and we're going to

have a look at some of the other myths

and negative stereotypes in the next

screencast