What Do Current Headlines Communicate About Black & Brown People
Do Media Networks Operate As If Black Lives Matter?
This exercise in readership is not for the faint of heart. If you become easily agitated when talking about racial inequity, click away from this article and return at a time when you feel ready to do the work. — Respectfully, Kim
To be honest this is not a traditional article, It is an observation. I will rarely if ever engage in full on discourse about hot button topics with those I do not know. Many are of the belief that these types of conversations should be had with those they are in community and/ or close relationship with. I agree. Real communication is grounded in trust and respect. Only then can we really hear another person.
What’s It All About?
This article is more of a noticing, where you, the reader, draw your own conclusions.
Below I share ten recent headlines written about or referencing people of color. Your work as the reader is to think deeply about each headline. Ask yourself:
1. What picture does the headline paint?
2. What feeling is the headline trying to elicit?
3. Which network generated the headline?
4. Is there a trend in the types of headlines each network writes?
5. How does this headline make me feel about people of color?
Headlines
1. Affluent White student-athletes are profiting from the labor of their poor Black peers, study says (By Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Updated 1:33 PM ET, Tue September 8, 2020)
2. LeBron James criticizes Lori Loughlin sentence that includes ‘prison of her choice’ (By By Cortney Moore | Fox News)
3. Cardi B, Offset are divorcing because they argue, the rapper says (By Cortney Moore | Fox News)
4. Louisville federal buildings boarded up ahead of anticipated Breonna Taylor grand jury decision (By Danielle Wallace | Fox News)
5. Kenosha, WI voters discuss systemic racism: ‘Until you actually experience it, you can’t fathom it’ (By Ali Velshi, MSNBC)
6. Paul Rusesabagina, real-life hero of ‘Hotel Rwanda,’ facing terror charges (Fox News- Associated Press)
7. Chaos, fear and doubt: Two weeks in, Detroit parents question tough choices about school (Erin Einhorn, MSNBC)
8. From migrant to pop star: Tresor opens up about his 4,000-kilometer journey to fame (Story by Jo Munnik, CNN)
9. Does LeBron James Really Have a Gripe with NBA MVP Voters? (Sean Highkin September 19, 2020, CNN)
10. 2 HBCU presidents joined Covid-19 vaccine trials to encourage participation, but past racist experiments haunt such efforts (By Dakin Andone, CNN Updated 4:52 AM ET, Fri September 18, 2020)
Final Thoughts
I set out to make birds eye observations about how black people are portrayed in the media. I offered 10 current headlines referencing black people in any capacity.
I experienced varying levels of frustration in my hunt for “People of Color” headlines. I noticed every network’s images are overwhelmingly white in nature. What I thought would be a quick and easy “Copy, Paste” exercise, turned into a 2 hour long search. Of the dozens of articles I perused, a minuscule amount featuring black people were visible to me.
Where are the black and brown people?
Lastly, I noticed Fox new had the least number of articles (I could find) featuring black and brown people under any category. Of the few articles I encountered, there seemed to be a common thread in how they report on people of color. You don’t need to hear my opinion on what common thread I noticed. Take a look for yourself and share what you learn.
This little experiment in “Noticing Headlines” was challenging emotionally. I came away wondering, why in 2020 is the US media still overwhelmingly white by default? Where are the multitude of positive stories about black and brown achievements, wealth, health, tech advancements and lifestyle?
The media seems to rest on a long standing, powerful framework with great influence. What is this framework ultimately communicating about people of color and their place in society?
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