Media and Race: Covert and Overt Messages about Racial Inequality

In 2009, we - and the media - have elected our first African American president into office, a feat some thought our country was not ready for. So it seems fitting that this debate takes place now.

Several obvious, uncontested facts are our nation brilliantly tries to find ways to dismiss that racism exists today. However, racial inequality still exists today. Our media is the soundboard for carrying out this message, which thrives and survives on ratings.

There are two ways for the media to reach their viewers: overt and covert media reporting and tactics. Only now, it is more covert[less transparent. Sometimes we may not observe it. This is because there are so many players and beneficiaries in the game of perpetuating the racial stigma or in hiding its existence. Media bias toward racial equality also includes a lack of coverage of African Americans as victims versus their more proportionate coverage when whites are victims. One cannot cover one topic and leave out the other.

There are various ways and motives for the media to manipulate viewers concerning racial equality. However, the result is still the same. There is no choice of whether we want media manipulation; that is unstoppable as long as we watch TV, therefore, the concern is which media manipulation is worse and more difficult to contain. There are numerous positions on the Medias relationship with this minority. The viewpoint that the media shows repeated positive images of African Americans on TV hinder racial equality is compared to the media depicting African American crimes more often than white crimes and showing less African Americans as victims versus whites.

Electing our first African American president into office is an achievement that some thought would never come. Therefore, it is appropriate that this discussion takes place. The question today is: Is racial equality making progress as we see more African Americans in leadership roles in both the private and the public sector (President Obama, Colon Powell, Condoleezza Rice, and Oprah Winfrey)? Alternatively, does this racial percentage change in leadership roles only help make the case that positive images of this minority will only head us in the wrong direction, not because the success of an African American is not warranted, but because what the media will do with this in their sound-bites and tabloid news?

For instance, does the media show African American success ratios in a way that reflects reality outside of television, politics and celebrity life? If not, then the consequence would be counterproductive to further racial progress. One might think showing positive images of African Americans, hearing the news of them getting good jobs, getting famous on television, becoming celebrities would be far better than always seeing the media show them in a stereotypical fashion. Many scholars believe we too often see them depicted on TV or other forms of media outlets as criminals even when the statistics for crimes show whites committing crimes on a level the media does not show us. This viewpoint's supposition, Media relations with racial inequality minimizes African American success and exaggerates their failure. Their point illustrated by offering us examples on how more photos we see on crimes committed by African Americans, than with Whites, when that is not accurate and it forces an interpretation of reality.

Whether exaggerating African American success or maximizing their failures, our largest player in racial inequality progress is the mass media because of the amount of people they can reach through their access to numerous media outlets. There is the internet, tabloid news media, and accurate unbiased journalistic reporting - hard to find today. Noteworthy to mention, the strongest asset media holds is their tried and proven techniques to manipulate their audience for their own agenda. For instance, instead of media stereotyping, the media hires African Americans, as anchorpersons, actors on TV sitcoms, series, dramas, and commercials as being successful. This is not an act of Affirmative Action, nor an act of sincerity; it is a movement, which encompasses a premeditated tactic to ensure that the viewers will see positive images of African Americans hoping that will alleviate the white man's guilt by fooling us into believing we have made progress in racial equality.

Accordingly, this slows down further progress in racial equality. This is not to say African Americans are not capable of being news anchors, or actors in TV shows. It is to state that the media will exaggerate the African American success in mainstream America and minimize their failure by deploying key and deliberate strategies in order to exploit data on news to forward their own program, a program that does include ratings. Another way to manipulate the viewers is to show us more white victims than African American victims. Distortion or omission of facts from the media serves to slow down further progress in racial equality whether the topic is African American success, crimes, or in how media portrays them as victims. Therefore, this falsification includes the media showing us repeatedly positive images of African American success, showing us repeatedly negative images they think is newsworthy information and when politically convenient the media can choose not to show or report articles of information that would contradict their agenda.

Numbers crunched, facts gathered can just about say whatever the media wants us to believe; yet, knowing the true disparity of this minority versus whites should be in our best interests. If seeing African Americans crime rates exaggerated, education and income level minimized on TV reinforces the notion of what some Whites may already feel; if we agree that showing African Americans in a stereotypical way on media is a bad thing then would showing the same minority being successful on media be a good thing. Would not that at least show us another side or at least reduce some bias and narrow-mindedness? It cannot be that what we see on TV does not reflect what we encounter in the real world because that argument rings true for both sides. So then why is the media showing the better side, the truer side of African Americans a bad thing? Which media technique is overt and covert? According to Professor Barbara Diggs-Brown, a co-author of By the Color of Our Skin, in a piece she co-authored with Leonard Stinhorn, The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race, seeing African Americans successful on TV disproportionate to reality can trick concerned citizens/individuals into thinking progress has been made to a greater degree than in reality.

Whether for or against Media's relationship with racial equality, suffice to say media has a positive or negative influence on racial equality, and many theories meet on several common themes. The media survives by ratings. The media is either overt, covert or both. The media decides what we see and in both cases does hinder racial equality progress. The group that believes that the racial profiling this minority has endured by the media selecting and showing negative images repeatedly on a television media or news speaks toward the type of media manipulation that has frequented our living rooms for decades. This media is viewed as overt because of its transparency in that many know now what the media is doing. The group that believes showing this minority being successful on TV, whether it is as a newsperson, an actor in a sitcom or a series, or the mere data that more African Americans are seen in leadership roles in both the private and public sectors view this type of media exposure as covert. This is not because individuals such as President Obama, Michael Isikoff, our first African American Attorney General, or from previous administrations, Colon Powell, and Condoleezza Rice, are the cause for this type of media manipulation (covert), rather, the media over exposes them on our TV. According to this view the above-mentioned do not represent racial equality in mainstream America and overexposure to their success is misleading because the success and employment ratio is quite different in our hometown.

Media does have a method and reason for this madness. To exaggerate the result of employment and the success ratios of African Americans the media shows repeated positive images that reflect this type of exaggeration whereby it slows down future ambition and action for further progress in the area of racial equality. In real TV there are not more African Americans anchoring the news, acting on TV dramas, series, or sitcoms. However we the viewers do not know that so when we see this media created fictional-reflection of racial progress we are relieved of our inherit guilt for what African Americans have endured. This conjecture is what Professor Barbara Diggs-brown speaks of. Opponents for this type of media influence contends this as evidence of racial eqaulity moving in the wrong direction for society.

Professor Barbara Diggs-Brown is a nationally recognized speaker with more than 25 years of communication experience, specializing in strategic planning, social marketing strategies, qualitative research, cultural competency, and media relations. She is a prominent national researcher on the development of effective social marketing and communication campaigns as tools to address social change issues, including education, race relations, economic development, and health. She is as well a director of social marketing communication at AIR and a co-author of By the Color of Our Skin that addresses the topic of racial equality. In a piece she co-authored with Leonard Stinhorn, The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race she refers to the television news media as being partially responsible for creating a complacent mind state towards the topic of racial progress for us whites. She proclaims we get accustomed to seeing the same face nightly; that soon if we view them as credible we take their news as credible. Moreover, when our chosen media deliverers are African Americans, famous African Americans or celebrities, or otherwise credible individuals, we are easy to persuade. That makes sense because some that watch the news especially during a time of crisis bonds either with a news anchor(s) or with a particular news channel. Brown points to the presence and frequency successful African Americans are portrayed. She believes that it is not enough to simply show successful African Americans on the television news or other media outlets; it is required that these positive articles or images [media representations]of African Americans are repeated during prime time on network news channels, [TV series, or sitcoms that the average American watches]. Browns examples can be observed better when we see an African American on the news telling us that racism is making some headway; it is even more convincing then. It is so convincing that some, even in absence of proof of racial equality or having the experience of not seeing any African Americans at their job, in their school, or even in their neighborhood, this media hyped propaganda still overrides the logic in the viewer whereby reality becomes distorted and we buy into the medias interpretation.

This relationship of racial- equality exaggeration is not limited to news. The cause and effect between media influence, perception of racial inequality and viewers watching TV can be observed on other shows where it shows African Americans having employment - sitcoms on TV like The Cosby Show where one character was a doctor and another was an attorney. These are all contributing variables that serve to misrepresent our true progress in this ongoing racial predicament. In these examples, Professor Barbra Diggs-Brown [in my opinion] shows us how covert racism has replaced overt racism and why it is difficult to define and observe. She believes that some individuals are skeptical of the media and it helps the argument of Media's role in delaying or even thwarting racial equality when we see African Americans beamed into our living room via TV media news, and commercials that show whites with African Americans. I would add as another example, commercials that show African Americans buying commodities that whites can afford. We were not seeing these commercials as frequent two decades ago.

This is a noteworthy debate because there are several points of views and at the same time, our nation does seem to have made progress. President Obama and we the people have demonstrated that some change has happened. Furthermore, Condoleezza Rice from the previous administration, an African American woman holding a powerful position in Washington D.C., and in this administration, Michael Isikoff, our first African American Attorney General is just more controversy for the media to spin when solving racial inequality for us. The question is will this new administration change cause us to relax? And on that question, depending on what article a person reads, what sites he or she visits, and what news channels are frequented may determine one's facts or help one in forming an opinion. For example there are as many sites, articles [in my opinion from what I saw] that report media does not exaggerate racial progress; instead, they minimize their success in society. Stephen Balkaranof the Yale Political Quarterly, in his article, "Mass Media and Racism" shares his viewpoints. He suggests, "mass media plays and will continue to play a crucial role in the way White Americans perceive African-Americans. Although the history of oppression and discrimination is centuries old, the media relationship", he proposes, "Perpetuates the effects ...and is contributing to their continuing status as second-class citizens". He offers, "this is accomplished by showing more African American crimes, (drug use, gang violence, and other forms of anti-social behavior) on TV or other media outlets; consequently, the media has fostered a distorted public perception of African Americans." In addition, he argues, "While there is no study showing that African-Americans are not as smart or hard working as Whites, the Media does profile African Americans as less educated and more prone to poverty, and this does not help matters. This is despite the evidence of 15% of black families have incomes of at least $50, 000 a year in 1990 (Yale Political Quarterly v21, i1). The dropout rate of African-American students has dropped from 24% (1972) to only 13% in 1991 (Yale Political Quarterly v21, i1)."

As mentioned, whether the media minimizes this minorities' success or maximizes their failure the result still equals slowing down future progress in racial divide. Moreover, there are as many websites, media opinions that conjecture different viewpoints. Depicting African Americans as criminals disproportionately to White Americans, reporting more White Americans than African Americans as victims, and showing African Americans successful on our television set are just a few of them. Stephen Balkaran does mention, "Part of the problem with the media [frenzy-type attack] on African Americans is the need for media ratings and as a result, what is not a crisis is not usually reported and what is not or cannot be made visual is often not televised". However, he proclaims, "When there are racial controversial bits of news, the media with keen interest responds quickly to the conflicts". This media influence goes even further in damages than mentioned. "Because of the Medias stereotyping, they have", Balkaran proposes, "divided the working class and stereotyped young African-American males as gangsters or drug dealers. Because of such treatment, the media have crushed youths' prospects for future employment and advancement. The media have focused on the negative aspects of the black community (e.g. engaging in drug use, criminal activity, welfare abuse) while maintaining the cycle of poverty that the elite wants." Another web site article, Racial Stereotypes in the Media - Associated Content echoes and furthers Stephen Balkaran's view. Sarah Senghas who writes comments on this site, pointed towards the bias and racism of the coverage of the 1992 riots and asserts, "This was not an isolated incident". She refers us to statistics taken from the Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media that maintains an African-American person's mug shot is four times more likely to be shown on a TV news report than a white defendant's is. A black person is twice as likely to be shown physically restrained on the TV news as a white person is (Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media)and a black defendant is two times less likely to have their name shown on the news than a white defendant is (Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media, www.raceandmedia.com). The Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media also shows that the most serious crimes (homicide, rape, robbery, and assault) are only committed by a small percentage of African-Americans in inner cities (around 8% by estimates). Despite this small percentage, Balkaran claims that, "the tendency to characterize all African-American males continues in our society." Sarah Senghas adds, "After seeing some of these statistics, you can see that African-American people truly are shown unrealistically."

Balkaran'sargument that ratings' have a lot to do with what we see and hear on TV is convincing. Yet, it goes deeper than that. The media wins by reinforcing these stereotypical thoughts, which in certain cases can serve to stop an African American from gainful employment, a better education. These are all related social issues that give the media again something to report on; they are relevant because when seeing the media this way one could suggest that the media is not only perpetuating, keeping alive racial divide but they are writing their own story where they are the main actors. While that is not journalism, that may be one reason we the audience are more drawn to the media that shows African Americans being successful. Although that method and motive for reporting speaks towards the covert, subtle untruths about racial equality, we want that to be true. For many of us, our ancestor-hood may not include owning slaves and for others, slavery may be irrelevant because they were not even born here; however, that does not mean we wish for racial inequality. Therefore, we are relieved to hear from the Journalist or newsperson that racial progress is making leaps and bounds, or at least that is Media's message. Nonetheless, some, not all of us, are inadvertently parts/players of the TV ratings' game and find ourselves watching news depicting African Americans committing crimes. It is not that people are bad; it is that the TV media and news just shows African American committing crimes more so than they show whites do and it is almost impossible to watch the news without encountering some type of falsehood concerning African Americans. The same media bias applies to African Americans when they are a victim. As mentioned, earlier (Balkaran), if it is an African American having a crisis, or they are victims there are contrasting results seen by not being white. Case and point, in the Katrina storm, the media showed their relationship with African Americans. Whites seen fleeing with electronic products from a store they robbed were given a get out of jail free card when compared to African Americans stealing tennis shoes that they needed to wear because of the flood. However, the media left that part out. In news, we see more crimes committed by African Americans. However, when we hear of Amber alerts or news of missing children, statistically, there are more whites shown in missing children reports and kidnappings. The same holds true for African American adults abducted, kidnapped, or murdered.

So what does this add up to? If we cannot solve racial divide completely what do we settle for? Media bias will continue especially the repetition of positive or negative images in comparison to whites regarding crimes, and other demographics; in addition, there will be more scenarios where African Americans get less representation when they are the victims. The question is do we want to be aware of it and we do. We are more aware of things such as media bias because of their overt reporting. It is when they sugarcoat social issues related to racial inequality by using a credible African American, or credible celebrity to deliver us the news of our racial progress; it is when they exaggerate percentages of income, educational level, and employment for African Americas by using media news, sitcoms, dramas, or series. Credible in this context can simply mean a trustworthy TV spokesperson or any media face we have grown accustomed to, seen them on a regular basis and have no reason not to trust what they say; it does not have to be an African American anchorman/actor. News of today has merged with tabloid more so than in any other decade so this predicament will not get better [in my opinion]. If we want to be more aware of what is really going on we have to send our media this message. We must challenge them when the facts on racial inequality are once again being minimized or maximized. I believe the greatest threat to solving this is allowing and/or responding to covert media and the news. That is, the media which shows repeatedly positive images exaggerating the success of racial equality. This serves to undermine work we have previously achieved by making some feel there are less problems than there are. This is the most dangerous type of media for society because it goes unchecked. Covert media influence gives us a false sense of reality concerning racial equality. We cannot get complacent on that fight. With overt media influence, we can see it; with covert media influence, it slips in and for some of us, we get the wrong picture and hear the wrong side. Nonetheless, racial bias [untruth] at the work place, the government, or private sector involving an African American being hired, or fired, or portrayed as a criminal or a victim is unfair. Any type of journalism that can swing that far away from the truth should not be in business. Accordingly, preferring overt media that we can see does not make it right for it to occur. When it is regarding the mere portrayal of an African American in any stereotypical way, that is intolerable, too.

Every essay has its unique relevance. It seemed fitting to do research and write an essay on this topic now because this is a historical period concerning diversity in the government. In addition, in the last two administrations we have seen more African Americans and other minorities in top political positions. There are numerous opinions on whether this is truly an indicator on how far we have came or is it just Virtual Reality(Diggs and Brown). The individuals that claim we have come far in racial equality use Condoleezza Rice, President Obama, Colon Powell, and Bill Cosby as examples. African Americans with either sitcoms, TV dramas that portrays them positively, or well-paid news anchors, further their side. Opponents, though(Diggs and Brown), think that those same examples prove the opposite point because simply seeing more African Americans on TV today, or learning that they are holding more leadership positions than yesterday, if anything, it tricks us whites. This is because the news we get comes from some media outlet so what we really see is a magnified number of successful African Americans on TV, which does not reflect reality, thereby relieving any burden we feel for what African Americans have endured. African Americans that lead in the private sector, top government positions, or actors/actresses in shows, series, and finally, newscasters does not reflect how many same-minorities versus non-minorities work in that news station or on that channel; nor does it reflect the ratio out side of our house; it does the opposite, it exaggerates the ratio. If we really want to know how this minority is doing, we must ask them since it is impossible for whites, in my opinion, to comprehend, truly, relate to what it is like to be an African American in this era or any other era. Accordingly, it is impossible to gage what every non-African American feels about this topic as everyone comes in with his or her own views and past history. Some might believe that the racial puzzle has been answered by electing our first African American into presidency, or having top political leaders in the government or in leading positions in the private sector. Regardless, we must remember where we get our information. The media will tell us what they think we need to hear and their bias is prevalent because they survive via ratings. It is their job to keep us away from turning the channel. Indeed electing an African American President may speak to racial progress and at least opens up the door for other minorities that had less chance yesterday, but how much change can we measure on racial equality from this new administration.

In conclusion, it is always important to ask ourselves questions and not trust everything we hear. In President Ronald Regan's famous era and quote, "we must trust but verify", in utilizing that mindset, it is fair to ask if electing an African American as our President relates to the current equation of racism. I believe it does relate but there is much more progress needed. I also believe the true test is not what is happening at 1200/1400 Pennsylvania Street, D.C, but what is happening in our own cities throughout WashingtonAmerica; better put, in mainstream America is that racial equality reflected. This is the cornerstone of the argument for opposing covert media because with that type of manipulation it is difficult to get the true picture. Therefore, on a larger scale, do we the people - who reside at mainstream America, receive the same advantages that our African American politicians, celebrities, and news castors realize. I believe we do not. Are we in the same predicament but with less hope today for racial equality solutions because now reality is more distorted and mindsets that bought into our progress yesterday may not see the same urgency today to fix our inequality systems. I believe we are if we rely on covert news and reporting and if we do not ask questions.

Work Cited

Balkaran, Stephen. "Mass Media and Racism" Unknown Volume 21, Number 1. October 1999. 25 February 2009. http://www.yale.edu/ypq/articles/oct99/oct99b.html>

Senghas, Sarah. "Racial Stereotypes in the Media" Associated Content. 23 May 2006. 25 February 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/33262/racial_stereotypes_in_the_media.html?cat=9>

The Entman-Rojecki Index of Race and Media

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race.(Review)". Highbeam Research. 1 December 1999. 25 February 2009.

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "The Illusion of Intergration and the Reality of Race" By the Color of our Skin. New York. Dutton. 1999

Diggs-Brown, Barbara and Leonard Stinhorn. "By the Color of Our Skin: The Illusion of Integration and the Reality of Race.(Review)". Penguin,ca. 25 February, 2009. http://www.penguin.ca/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780452278738,00.html>

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=By+The+Color+Of+Our+Skin&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=>

Entman, Robert and Andrew Rojecki. "The Black Image in the White Mind". About.com: Race Relations. 25 February 2009.