Stereotypes and generalizations in media content

Nolan Cramer

nc948418@ohio.edu

 

It is no secret that there has always been a lack of diversity in content produced by the media industry. For years, the media has used stereotypes and generalizations to incorrectly represent entire genders, races and sexual orientations.

In turn it has led to not every population being portrayed fairly or equally; both in the news and in advertising. The 21st century is now the time to make thoughtful changes in the way journalists report on certain populations.

One group trying to do this is UNESCO, which strives to "promote gender equality and women's empowerment," with a focus on the communications industry. In a 2019 study, it found that while 50% of the world's population are women, they are only the focus of 10% of news articles. Additionally, only 20% of experts interviewed for articles are women.

The study illustrates that there has been an inherent bias in the media against women. What the communications industry need to do is focus on promoting equality in reporting and removing any preconceived notions that it may have about certain genders.

When the media is only using women experts 20% of the time, it paints a picture that the media holds a stereotype that information from women is least reliable or trustworthy than that from men. It demonstrates outdated/incorrect thinking on the part of the media, which in-turn makes the public question the industry's reliability and motives.

Picture source: Pew Research Center

Another problem present in news coverage is racial diversity. For too long journalists have used generalizations to make assumptions about entire races, specifically racial minorities.

Travis L. Dixon, professor of communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, completed a study with Color of Change — the largest online racial justice organization in the United States — looking at representation of various races in the news.

The study found that the media has a plethora of problems in the way they report about racial minorities and persons of color.

Dixon developed six key findings, one of which being, "news and opinion media frame Black families as socially destabilizing and white families as socially stabilizing." This includes associating crime with Black families more than white families.

Also, it found that the media misrepresent those who are on welfare. The study found that Black families represent 60% of news coverage on welfare, when in reality among everyone on welfare only 42% are Black. This is an over-representation by18-percentage-points.

Finally, the study concluded that the primary offenders are "right wing media outlets," but that some more mainstream outlets also continue to perpetuate stereotypes and misrepresent certain racial populations.

The conclusion of the findings on both gender and race is that the entire communications industry needs to take a look at how they have historically reported on various groups. It then needs to enact thoughtful change in order to no longer perpetuate dangerous and outdated generalizations. 

Stereotypes in media have meant that certain communities have been neglected or wrongly represented. Now is the time for journalists to modify the way they do their jobs in order to put an end to misrepresentation.