Race and Ethnicity in News Media: Bias and Representation

Introduction: Media's Pervasive Influence on Public Perception

When news media made the conversion from print to radio, a new era was born in America. The birth of television pushed mass media to an even more omnipresent place in society. Today it is nearly impossible to avoid the news media without reverting to a completely hermetic and reclusive state. Newspapers, radio broadcasts, television, and the Internet all stream information into our homes and businesses — information on which people rely to understand world events and local news. However, if the information presented to society is inaccurate, the majority of the public will still believe it to be fact.

Subtle messages can easily be entwined with the news to present whatever image the media wishes to convey. Additionally, even entertainment media has become so closely related to actual news that it is difficult to separate the two when analyzing the effect of news media on public perception. Reality television and "inspired by true events" programs like Law and Order leave real impressions on the public that are interpreted subconsciously as if they were factual reports, while news broadcasts present themselves in a sensationalized manner to attract viewers for the sake of entertainment. Ideally, the news would be presented in a clear, factual, and unbiased manner. Unfortunately, our society is far from ideal, and the media is riddled with prejudicial language and implications. The prejudicial nature of race in the media can be seen in the history of radio and television, the way the general media handles race and ethnicity, and specifically the way local news broadcasts handle this subject.

Racial Bias in Early Radio Broadcasting

Long before Americans huddled around the television set or computer screen for their media fix, the radio broadcast entertainment and news into the home. Since the 1920s, radio has been shaping and defining American culture and ways of thinking. "Radio is arguably the most important electronic invention of the century… it revolutionized the perceptual habits of the nation" (Douglas, 9). American culture was segregated by race and ethnicity when radio first became a social force, and radio served as a means to encourage that division. Although some opportunities for conveying anti-prejudice messages existed on the radio, it was largely used for the opposite.

Radio presentations in the early years were heavily influenced by the live entertainment traditions already in existence, and news and entertainment were both presented in a Vaudeville-era style. Vaudeville and Blackface Minstrelsy were, of course, deeply infused with racial and ethnic bias. "Through blackface performances, white audiences could fulfill their pleasure of 'understanding' black people, while the assurance of the blackface performer's true whiteness kept them — both the white audiences and the white performers portraying the black characters — at a safe distance away from too much reality" (Stark). Both White and Black performers used blackface makeup to parody African Americans. When Vaudeville styles moved to radio, the format was called "Vaudio" (Nachman 27–49), and no ethnicity was safe from caricature. "Many cameo characters' entire routine was confusing words, sputtering non sequiturs, or conversing in pidgin English — a vast gallery of stage Germans, Italians, Irish, Swedes, Jews, and Blacks" (Nachman, 30). There was no clear distinction in the American mind between these Vaudio broadcasts and the informational news interspersed among them.

Amos and Andy: Caricature as Cultural Norm

The characters Amos and Andy introduced radio listeners to a cultural phenomenon of prejudice. Played by white men in radio blackface, these characters were believed by listeners to be Black, and they were portrayed as superstitious and ignorant. Despite the hardships they encountered, their lives appeared carefree. "These characters didn't need a job or even food to survive. The simplicity of their problems was comforting, as in their world problems need not be solved. Audiences were able to sit in front of their radios and laugh as the problems of the world de-intensified, as these two black men wandered aimlessly and carefree" (Stockman). For over thirty years, these characters remained a fixture of the media — and unfortunately of the news media as well — as appearances on news broadcasts and other public information programming were commonplace.

Black listeners of Amos and Andy understood that the dialect and behavior of the characters was unrealistic and outright offensive. The show was eventually removed from television and radio following pressure from the NAACP and other civil rights organizations, yet the legacy of racial caricature it helped normalize did not disappear with it.

Conclusion: Media Responsibility and the Stakes of Getting It Right

According to one experienced reporter, "Of course, how well — or how poorly, if you prefer — journalists deal with sensitive issues of race, ethnicity and religion depends on one's perspective. But all agree that there is room for improvement" (Rifkin). This is undoubtedly the case. The way in which ethnic and racial issues are covered by the media is demonstrably skewed. Both news media and entertainment media share an overriding interest in generating high ratings, which means that moral considerations and social justice are often sacrificed in the pursuit of revenue.