Race relations news on most local newscasts consists of police scenes where a robbery, shooting or murder has occurred. That seems to be the standard. Isn't there more going on than these negative episodes?
Until a standard segment on race relations that address a broad array of issues becomes a regular part of the local and national news as sports and the weather, we will forever be content to think that such episodes define entire communities and groups of people.
This is not only what is covered on local news but on the national level as well.
There is a great deal of coverage of high profile acts that seem to be racially motivated. We all remember the Trayvon Martin killing in Florida, which was the center of demonstrations, hearings, and television talk shows for weeks on end. The trial of George Zimmerman, the shooter, had a spot on the Evening News until the verdict was rendered.
Whenever there is a racially-motivated beating, killing, or other actions in a community, at a social gathering or wanton graffiti and racial slurs glaringly displayed, major media rush to report it. There are so many examples we can recall that have occurred in recent times.
Many of us likely remember the wanton killing of a Muslim mother of five in California. The killer or killers left a calling card imploring the family to get out of America.
Then, there was the senseless killing of a black man in Mississippi who happened to be walking to a convenience store when he was beaten and run over by a pick-up truck driven by white teens who were looking to kill a "Nigger." They found an innocent unsuspecting black man, and killed him.
But where is the ongoing conversation so such incidents will not be repeated in the months or years to come?
During the last several months, we are seeing more and more racially-infused incidents on our college campuses, involving future generations that will be our leaders for tomorrow.
There are so many other low profile incidents, those that do not make national news, that are occurring on a daily basis in communities all across America, involving people of all racial and ethnic groups.
Until we are willing to take inventory on an individual, group and societal level, of all those factors – factual and fictional – that shape our attitudes and actions as we interact with others who are different from ourselves, race will continue to be used as a divisive and destructive force.
Incidents that would otherwise be considered as everyday encounters and common conflicts take on a life of their own, fueled by the stereotypes and labels that we hang on to and allow to order our world view. Do we care whether they are accurate or inaccurate? Are we afraid to examine their veracity, for fear it might lead us out of our comfort zone, shatter the monochromatic world to which we predictably retreat?
How can that conversation occur in family rooms, around the dinner table, in classrooms, cafes and clubs if we are to move beyond the labeling and stop falling into the same old perennial cycle of accusation and denial about the state of race relations in our neighbors, communities, cities, our nation?
Would a regular segment on the evening news that covered more than who shot John or robbed Peter be of value as a source of education and enlightenment?
What do you think?
Comments
Some regular "lighter"
Some regular "lighter" evening news might help us to look at some of the better parts of race relations just because of the fact that constant exposure to certain ideas will usually eventually "rub off" on people at least to some extent. However, will it help solve all of our problems? Definitely not. People tend to think in stereotypes. That's the way things have always been, and, quite frankly, we are all creatures of habit.
Some regular "lighter"
The reason why there is no better parts of race relations on the news is because it isn't scandalous. You are right, we are creatures of habit in this country and we are fueled by sex, drugs, and violence. These are the things that excite us as a nation, not many people want to see that the white and black neighbors had a get together with their neighborhood this weekend. The reason why the news is the way it is, is because we will continue to watch it because it's exciting to see sex, drugs, and violence.
I agree that the reason that
I agree that the reason that the news doesn't report the more positive side of things or the positive stories because people don't find it interesting. or if they do find it interesting they only doing for a moment and that doesn't boost ratings and viewers which is ultimately their goal. the media is fueled by sex, drugs, and violence. a lot of people like drama whether they say so or not.
I agree that the reason that
I agree that the reason that the news doesn't report the more positive side of things or the positive stories because people don't find it interesting. or if they do find it interesting they only doing for a moment and that doesn't boost ratings and viewers which is ultimately their goal. the media is fueled by sex, drugs, and violence. a lot of people like drama whether they say so or not.
I agree that the reason that
I agree that the reason that the news doesn't report the more positive side of things or the positive stories because people don't find it interesting. or if they do find it interesting they only doing for a moment and that doesn't boost ratings and viewers which is ultimately their goal. the media is fueled by sex, drugs, and violence. a lot of people like drama whether they say so or not.
While there are the bad
While there are the bad things (the "sex, drugs, and violence" as you say), there are occasional news stories that have a lighter subject and those stories tend to warm the heart. Those light-hearted stories of a firefighter saving a child are the stories that we look forward to in the news. I don't think we are searching for the bad things, necessarily. I think many people are searching to hear the good within all the bad.
I agree that yes they are
I agree that yes they are searching for the good in the bad. however, it is the bad that they ultimately search for because it is what boosts ratings. its that ooooo factor that makes people stay tuned to the next news cast in order to see what happened. and it is the good side of the situation that gives them something else to talk about along side the dramatic side.
You're right that people are
You're right that people are not necessarily looking for the bad stuff but rather for stories with the potential to "warm the heart". More good news might even provoke people to watch the news more often and regularly. Thus, a shift to more good news could do good.
We are creatures of habit,
We are creatures of habit, not only as a nation, but as a world. Humans get stuck in their habitual thoughts, feelings, and attitudes. When things change,for the most part, it is uncomfortable because it is new and different. It isn't the "norm".
Yeah, we are creatures of
Yeah, we are creatures of habits and changes definately create a discomfort.
But we need that change in order to evolve. We need to have contact with other discussions and things "out of the normal".
Seeing tragedy and bad things make us thankful for our lives and we have the conveniente (but wrong) impression that our life is good the way it is, because it didn't happen to us.
The audience look for this kind of news and that is what TV will give them, because they are seeking for the biggest audience.
I could not agree with this
I could not agree with this more. Everything starts to become a daily routine and when we have to stray out of our comfort zone things go badly because people just think the worst in whats happening. Its hard to break a habit that's been with you for a while.
Hitting the subject
I agree with what you have said. Especially in you last sentence that we are all a creature of habit. The news does leave out a lot, but you can only cover so much in one time segment. I believe that it would help open the eyes of the gullable and "blind", as to the reality of everyday encounters. Racism has been alive since the beginning of time, in my mind many things that humans do are a type of animalistic trait. With that being said wherever you come from, are raised, or the environment you are in fuels your view on others. The media would help and hurt at the same time. For the people that are already closed minded and are racist, it may anger them to be more aggravated because of whatever type of story is covered. As for the opposite, the opened minded and accepting, it may appeal to them and help their beliefs and back up some of their own ideas. All in all I do agree that a "lighter news coverage" would be beneficial , I think that too much might hurt and make it more of a deal than it was before it was brought in the light. We can only grow and learn from the mistakes and idiocy of the past.
The News
I hate watching the news because all they talk about is the shooting, killings, robberies, and all the bad things going on in your area or nationally. Maybe if the news would report the good things that go on in communities and all the good choices people are making, the news would be more interesting to me. Yes, I know that all bad news needs to be reported because people want to know, but don't blow the story up to something that it is not. Report the facts and get on with the next subject. I think having a spot for Race Relations would be beneficial if not all they talked about was all the bad things going on with racial subjects. I do understand that people need to know all of the "bad things" happening in this world but maybe people wouldn't be so hateful with each other if they knew that there was "good things" happening in this world too.
I agree
What you just described as the news blowing up a story to get more ratings is exactly what is wrong with the News. It's called "traditional journalism", a lot of employers teach their reporters to report stories in this way because they get more ratings when this happens. Another side of journalism is called "ethical journalism", this is where you have some great insight into the way the News should be read. If everyone thought the way that you think the news wouldn't be scandalous and sometimes filled with propaganda.
Blown up News Stories
So many stories lately have fit the mold of being stories that have just blown up and have been on for weeks at a time. Two examples that I can think of are the incident with the Seattle Seahawk's Cornerback Richard Sherman's comments after the NFC championship game and also any big shooting that happens. Stories like these are continually reported on and talked about a lot whether it be the news or different talk shows. I personally think it is dumb to talk about certain stories for so long but we have to remember that the News stations are in it for the money and so anything that gets more viewers is going to blow up and be on for extended periods of time. Also, the fact that these stores are continually on are only fueling the fire for someone to do something. For instance a shooting happens and news stations blow up over trying to cover it and do it for an extended period of time. The problem is there could be someone out there that is just as evil as the person being reported on and so they decide that they want to try and do something worse. The continual reporting of these bad events is only a fuel for other people to commit worse acts. Sadly many of the news reports of tragedies that I have seen lately have had something to do with hatred or distress between people of different races.
Agreed
I agree that the news should be reporting both good and bad. If you think about it people need to see it all because it all happens everyday. I know that people want to hear about the shootings and killings but I know I personally would also like to see good things. I think it could help racial relations a lot if people saw good things that happened between races. Kind of like a "monkey see monkey do" type of thing.
True
You are right! It is very true that if we could see the good part of this kind of situation it would help people to realize that there is not only hatred, violence and destruction between races. Showing the good things that different races do for each other is going to show that it is not unusal as some people think it is. That is the way to open minds and start the change from the begining.
agree
I agree that if it wasn't in some peoples faces all the time we wouldn't be so hateful to one another. Some people don't pay attention to ideas, have a lack of respect for themselves, their loved ones and others. Over time I believe people can change, and once grown can finally understand what and why things are the way they are around them, and if they don't change its on them. I have been all over he world, 10 different countries and experienced each culture in a different way. Before any of that I only knew what i knew from where I was raised and what my family stood by, whether it as good or bad i won't talk about that. Once I saw everything first hand and was either in the moment or am looking back on it now, it changed a lot of my ways of thinking and how to accept change and in difference in life, culture and people. Some don't get the chance I had, and I can only hope everyone just learns from everything that got them to this point in their life.
I completely agree with
I completely agree with everything you just said... people eventually will change, but each one in their own way and speed, depending exclusively on themselves to want that change and also make the opportunities to achieve the change they want.
If race relations were to
If race relations were to acquire its own segment on the news, then I believe that feminist and marriage equality groups should share the limelight with them. I have always thought that the news should cover youths and teens who are making positive impacts on their community rather than the entertainment and celebrity news they report. If more youths are put into the forefront of the media, then we could see a movement to a younger audience for local news. I do not see this having a negative impact on the media as our youths should be more plugged-in to the news media and current events.
I agree
It is sad to see that many youth today do not read newspapers or other readings online about the news or they don't watch the news. And I think that is because the news doesn't relate to any of the youth. Celebrities should not be the focal point in any news because most they are not always making the right choices (example A: Justin Bieber). If the news had more stories about the youth in the community then maybe that would have an impact on teens today and their choices. We don't want the youth today to end up like some of the celebrities that are shown on the news... that would be scary.
I agree with all these posts
I agree with all these posts so far. The news down plays a lot of the better news (when it is reported) because the bad things going on is the attention getter. It's more fuel for the fire involving the racial conflicts and stereotypes in every ethnic group. Yes, people want to know what's going on locally and around the world but blowing it all out of proportion is a daily occurrence, the media is definitely not known to have all their facts straight. I do not watch the news for these reasons too. I'm tired of seeing all the negative and almost none of the positive. Maybe reporting the lighter stuff would help out a lot, especially if they highlight the youth. As it's already been mentioned, it may have a positive impact on the upcoming generation.
As most people have already
As most people have already said, having more positive news would help lighten the news but I don't think race relations needs its own segment when there are so many other things out there. If there was a "positive" segment that included race relations that highlights youth and the good things that are happening, then that would definitely make a stronger impact than hearing all of the negative things that are on the news today.
Good Point
This is true, but I think we also must realize that a lot of negative things do happen. Sometimes scare tactics work better than positive reinforcement, although that is pretty sad.
the news doesn't really
the news doesn't really report the positive events of their area because it doesn't interest people. if you notice they take barely a couple of minutes to switch to a positive story but will have a whole live discussion board over a negative thing such as a theft or killing court case. its like in the movie Bruce Almighty, Bruce doesn't get the sweeps story about the bakery because the sex scandal covered by the other guy is more interesting. the news revolves around ideas such as these.
Beyond Race
It is true that after high profile hate crimes ensue, the conversation slowly dies down. However, isn't that true of all news stories? People do not continue to talk about the same incidents that happened for years to come to prevent it. When there is some sort of robbery crime, people don't talk about it for years to come to prevent future robberies. I think anything shown on the news will slowly fade away, race or not.
I agree, the news does let
I agree, the news does let stories die off which results in people not talking about it anymore until it happens again. THEN they might touch again on an issue relating to it. It's just a revolving door when it comes to the same issues over and over regardless of race. Unless it affects the whole country then of course it's on the news for a long time getting it into the viewer's minds that something needs to be done. Hopefully, though not likely, someone in that field may change that in the future.
I agree that most news
I agree that most news stories spark conversation, which we talk about for a while, but eventually it fades away until the newest story comes out. No matter whether it's good or bad, if it's on the news, people are talking about it. And more people will talk about it because it was on the news. Most of the time, people will talk about the horrible things that have happened rather than the good things. Or if the good things are talked about, the conversation only lingers for a moment.
Agreed
News stories are at first blown up as much as the news people can blow it up. They do this so their ratings are better and that way people will talk about it for maybe a couple days. Then the people need a new story to talk about so the news stations have another story they blow up to get the people talking again.
News segment, nice idea but
In reality I think that having a news segment regarding race issues will not hold everyone's attention. As most everyone has stated the news does tend to go towards those stories that can grab the attention of the viewer in a couple of seconds. In reality how many of the people on this board actually watch the news on a regular basis? Or do you get your news online or second hand stories? I have been in several classes where the professor required current news events be discussed in class. Many of the students did not watch or read the news even with the requirement. I think it would be great if when the news did report some crimes or stories where it is not a hate crime but just a crime, if it were reported without reporting what ethnicity of the people involved in the crime, victims or suspected criminals. I believe if we stop placing emphasis on these things then people will start to see people regardless or race/ethnic background as people. Not all crimes happen because of race. Sometimes bad things happen because people make bad choices. This is not an ethnic issue but a human race issue. In America our abilities to make choices are not based on our ethnic backgrounds or even sex anymore.
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