The Bias Against African Americans in Local Television News.
Local television news has the opportunity no other media has. It is always accessible. 72% of Americans acquire their news from local television on a regular basis (Entman&Rojecti 2000). Through the news, the American people are bombarded with images of violent crime. Victim's reactions, the crime scene, and the victim's injuries are shown often to enhance the attraction to the story. When these images and accompanying text are constantly linked with African Americans, when their involvement in crime is over represented, and they are presented in a stereotypical manner, the myth that race and crime are connected is perpetuated. The media also presents a strong connection between race and poverty. The more people see crime and poverty presented as racial problems, the more they will believe that this view is reflective of the truth. Local television news claims to be "objective" and therefore should be responsible for dispelling these myths. Yet the facts are misrepresented, and the news media seems more concerned with entertainment value and with viewer numbers (Gillian et al.2000). The In-Group Concept.
The human species as social creatures construct classifications for everything, including themselves. The idea of an "in-group," or the majority, against the "out-group," or minority, is prevalent in all aspects of daily life. This idea fosters the hegemony of the majority over the minority (Shanklin 1994). .
What is Racism.
Van Dijik (1998) simplifies the definition of racism as "a social system of "ethnic" or "racial" inequality." The two components of racism are social and cognitive. The social component includes everyday discriminatory practices. The cognitive component refers to the beliefs, attitudes, values, stereotypes, and prejudices of a society. These beliefs come primarily from discourse or communication within the group.
