Deciding to apply to college as a journalism major was daunting because the news media has always intimidated me. On top of that, people told me it was a ridiculous career to pursue because I would be poor, sad, and work for a corporation that profits from lying to their audiences. While I have yet to enter the professional workforce (outside of student publications), I can confidently say that most journalists value morality and conduct ethical pursuits of truthful information. However, one thing the naysayers were right about was the isolating feeling of being a Black woman in news media, especially at a primarily white university.
A survey conducted in July of 2020 by the Pew Research Center found key differences between Black, White, and Hispanic Americans when asked how they feel their racial group is represented in the news media. Overall, 59% of Americans think news organizations do not understand people like them, while 37% say they feel understood. When compared to a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March of 2020, the statistics were quite similar, but the individual reasonings for each group dramatically differed.
Both on and behind the camera, Black women, face many challenges. Behind the camera, female journalists face the pressures of looking both pleasing and professional without distracting from news coverage. On top of that, Black people have stricter rules about their hair and fit of clothes. In front of the camera, women in politics are ridiculed and disrespected, especially when they threaten a traditionally male-dominated role or rise in leadership. Black women, even those who are successful, receive less coverage in the news entirely. The unfortunate truth is that Tens of thousands of Black girls and women go missing every year but their cases rarely become national headlines. Not only is it important to see yourself postively reflected in the news, but it is important to see the tragedies so that minorities receive justice as well.
Referring back to the study, compared to other groups, Black Americans are more likely to feel the misunderstanding is based on their race or a demographic trait; White Americans are more likely to feel the problem stems from political misunderstandings, and Hispanic Americans are somewhat more likely to think that their personal interests are what is misunderstood most. When divided into political parties, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more likely to feel the news media misunderstand them than Democrats and Democratic leaners (73% vs. 47%). Their reasoning behind why they feel misunderstood is differentiated along party lines, but not as widely race and ethnicity.
Despite the effort by many politicians to sell the idea that journalists are only motivated by profit and attention, another recent Pew Research Center survey found most Americans blame unfair news coverage on media outlets, not the journalists who work for them. Although this does not necessarily mean Americans deny the existence of fake news, it supports the theory that "fake news" is a political agenda rather than a method of news reporting.
Trust in the general news media is low, so journalists must get creative in solving this issue. A few solutions include sharing their reporting process with the public to alleviate misunderstanding, hiring more diverse staff so that newsroom more accurately reflects the real world, and abiding by the code of ethics in their writing.
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