Emily Baron
eb113717@ohio.edu
Throughout U.S. history, Black people have been criminalized and brutalized by the media time and time again. Racist, white supremacist fear has unjustly stoked the perception of Black bodies as a weapon for centuries. Today, the media still plays a huge role in setting the tone for how we perceive people of color and establishing consequential stereotypes from said media coverage.
An example of how the criminalization of Black people, specifically Black youth, still runs rampant today is the school-to-prison pipeline. This is an evident trend in U.S. schools where students of color are significantly more prone to being funneled into the U.S. prison system. This happens because police officers, instead of teachers, counselors or principles, are planted in schools so they can “step in” to discipline students.
Graph courtesy of First Focus (February 2, 2015)
Having a police officer in schools is scary for young children of color, especially following the rise of societal acknowledgement to police brutality against people of color. Police brutality is a reality faced by people of color in this country daily. Especially following George Floyd’s death, more and more parents are discussing racism and police brutality with their children. Having a police officer planted in schools makes children of color feel unsafe and unwelcome. This pipeline is a direct extension of the racist views America planted its roots in at its inception of mass genocide and enslavement.
Journalist Dawn Turner with Nieman Reports explained how these stereotypes seep through the images we present in media coverage of criminal reports, especially in images of people of color. The images selected, “often lack context and depth and feed a perception that skews and even skewers reality.” To have a person of color’s photograph coupled with a caption of the crime they are accused of is not the issue alone; it is the fact that as this imagery emerges and circulates, racist stereotypes will only grow stronger as communities of color are increasingly misrepresented and damaged by the effects. A face paired with an alleged crime alone is not enough background information for readers to gain the full story. Instead, these images cause harm to Black communities.
Journalist Clark Merrefield with Neiman reports shared how, “Racial and ethnic minorities make up about 40% of the U.S. population.” The media’s job is to be an objective source providing accessible, reliable information to the masses, and to accurately reflect breaking news and information with as little bias as possible. With people of color making up nearly half of our population, it is journalists’ duty to examine if the work they put out is harming people of color with basal, deceiving imagery and descriptions instead of accurate representation.
As a student journalist, this is something I've had to deeply think about. I'm a white student from a small town that hasn't faced much adversity in my life. Once I came to Ohio University and I joined The Post, I had the opportunity to report on discrimination and racial issues that multicultural students at Ohio University face on a daily basis. It can be hard to report on something you haven't face yourself, but as Emily said, "Today, the media still plays a huge role in setting the tone for how we perceive people of color and establishing consequential stereotypes from said media coverage." By being aware of this and holding myself accountable, I believe I can play an active role in accurately representing groups of people who have traditionally been unrepresented. I want to give a megaphone to those who need their voices heard without allowing prejudice block that message. I feel like the other points Emily makes only prove the importance of this topic. I hope other student journalists take the time to consider this thought process. It's essential to the future of journalism that we all do so.
ReplyDeleteAlthough schools are a place that's supposed to be a safe environment, U.S history has shown that it is not always the case for people of color. I think that instead of keeping police officers in schools, they should have more psychologists, therapists and counselors for young children who need a secure place to learn.
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