Thus, the images presented by television news help contribute to this vicious, self-reinforcing, cycle as the news they present help to continue and promote the problems and the stereotypes.
Closely linked to race becomes issues of class. As those in minority areas are portrayed and viewed negatively a flight of capital and economic activity develops in conjunction with the stereotypes. Those with capital, typically white, avoid neighborhoods seen as violent or dangerous, and money is not spent or invested in these communities. Once this happens, "the catastrophe of the inner-city increasingly becomes one of economic isolation more than simply of race-. Jobs quickly disappear, and welfare reforms are doomed to failure without hope of potential employment. Once the welfare system fails the "United States will further divide into two societies: one multiracial and reasonably prosperous; the other, disadvantaged and often dark skinned, living in semi-permanent poverty-. As the inner-city minority neighborhoods become increasingly poor vis -vis society as a whole, it becomes increasingly likely that the members of the television news media will not come from this area of society and continue to promote the fixed images they have developed of these neighborhoods, perhaps ignoring other methods to present the problems of the inner-city. Thus, the two concepts of race and class are closely related and act to reinforce one another. .
While failing to contribute to a solution to the problems of race and class, the television news media has been much more successful in promoting gender equality. News features often show and expose problems important to women such as domestic violence, gender discrimination, and sexual harassment. Additionally, within the television media itself, women often fill prominent positions in broadcasting and reporting. This helps to promote the interactionist hope that gender symbols can be positively changed.
