As a student originally from the United States, I have already been made aware of the injustices in the difference of news portrayals between criminal incidents involving different races. From the occasional blog post on Facebook to the countless articles that pop up telling us about the murders that have taken place that day, I see rampant injustice.
The moment I first remember seeing this stark contrast contrast between the media portrayal of whites and blacks was when the Stanford rape case of Brock Turner came out and the picture and article that was released was compared with that of a person of a different race who had been convicted of, what I would call, a much lesser crime (O’Neil).
The article “When the Media Treats White Suspects Better than Black Victims” really drove these points home in my mind (Wing).The article points out that “too many -news articles- focused on blaming the victims for previous unrelated criminal behavior” (Wing) Specifically, it points out how news titles often blame the black victim for his death by reference to an event or events that had nothing to do with his murder, while white people’s deaths are portrayed as tragic events. Even if they have done something wrong, their culpability is portrayed as inconceivable because they were such a good person. Wing shows this injustice for both victims and perpetrators by sharing multiple headlines which exemplify the harsh contrast, saying that, “headlines seem to suggest that black victims are to blame for their own deaths… a form of character assassination” while “news outlets often… run headlines that exhibit an air of disbelief at an alleged white killer’s supposed actions” (Wing). These differences are revolting, but crucial to acknowledge because without recognizing the problematic inconsistencies, they cannot be addressed and remedied. That the media systematically or purposefully seeks to justify police violence against blacks by, what Wing calls “character assassination”can be seen in the numerous headlines they provide. One example that particularly stuck out to me was the article title about a black victim of a murder: “Trayvon Martin was suspended three times from school” (Wing). The article title reduces the value of his life, almost excusing or certainly lessening the culpability of his murderer through the use of a completely unrelated fault.
It is essential for society, especially in the USA, to recognize this bias in the media and understand how it is impacting a new generation of readers. The effect of article titles suggesting that if the person in question, victim or perpetrator, is black, they are to blame most certainly is a direct promotion of racism, and a justification of violence against blacks. This issue is crucial in the US right now, as racial tension is escalating as seen by recent rioting. (Durden)
Works Cited
Durden, Tyler. “Thousands Protest Police Violence Across US Cities; Tear Gas Used In Phoenix “Black Lives Matter” Rally.” Zero Hedge. N.p., 9 July 2016. Web. 06 Nov. 2016.
O’Neil, Lauren. “Status and Race in the Stanford Rape Case: Why Brock Turner Mug Shot Matters.” CBC News. CBC News, 11 June 2016. Web. 6 Nov. 2016.
Wing, Nick. “When the Media Treats White Suspects Better than Black Victims.” The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post, 14 Aug. 2014. Web. 5 Nov. 2016.