Media aims to produce and transform sets of ideas in many areas, from economic ones to political ones (Hall, S., 1990). Unfortunately, the system of racism starts with ideologies in the society. Society’s ideas and intentions are highlighted through the media, causing the media to often come off as racist. Media is also built for a certain audience with specific combinations of ideals and ideas, resulting from a chain of similar past ideologies.
There are different types of racism a media could transmit: “overt” racism and “inferential” racism. Overt racism refers to the racist ideas and arguments discussed in the media by a spokesperson, whereas inferential racism is the usage of racist statements within factual or fictional situations (Hall, S., 1990).
Racism in the media comes in many forms. In the entertainment industry for instance, racism occurs when the movie stereotypes races in a specific, often discriminating way. For instance, American films tend to stereotype Arabs and Muslims as terrorists, fanatics, aggressive people; associating them with a negative connotation in any way (Shaheen, J. G., 2003). This example is a perfect way to explain a form of racism in the media that continues to affect people’s ideas all around the world, depicting Arabs and Muslims with a negative attribution. Film is a powerful form of media, especially when it comes to Hollywood movies, which are watched all around the world by millions.
The cruciality of the awareness of racism in the media continues to exist, as racist ideologies have unfortunately not left us in the century that we live in.
References:
Hall, S. (1990). The Whites of Their Eyes: racist ideologies and the media. In Alvarado, M.,and Thompson, J., (eds) The Media Reader (pp. 89-93). Retrieved from:
http://www.appstate.edu/~hallcl/READING%20ASSIGNMENTS/3534%20wk8-stuarthall.PDF
Shaheen, J. G. (2003). Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 588(1), 171–193. Retrieved fromhttps://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203588001011
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