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

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“Despite journalism’s trumpeted efforts as democracy’s champion, when it comes to race the watchdog is snoozing comfortably in its doghouse” (Campbell 1995: 136). Campbell was struck by the sameness of the “racial mythology” in newscasts across the United States. This sameness would indicate a hegemonic consensus about race and class. Local television news has control over public discourse and is a major influence in forming and perpetuating racism. While open racism is no longer acceptable, a more subtle “new racism” controls news presentation. Television news ignores the life of people outside the dominant culture, and treats them as if they are insignificant. By repeatedly linking African Americans with crime and poverty it “feeds an understanding of minorities as different, as ‘other,’ as dangerous” (Campbell 1995:132). This perpetuation of the mythology of race by local television news interferes with the understanding that would result in tolerance and compassion and finally eliminate racial prejudice (Campbell 1995).

The largest percentage of the population of poor people in America is white; in fact, African Americans make up only 29 percent of the poor population. However, the news depicts the poor as African American 65 percent of the time (www.yale.edu/opa/newsr/97-08-12-01.all.html). This would lead people to believe that poverty is an African American issue. Through visual symbols and stereotypical language the view is presented that people are poor because they are black. In stories related to poverty, images are often shown of scenes of blacks in meetings and marches, neighborhoods in ruin with blacks milling around in the street and often shown with police. These images are powerful symbols for a viewer to see night after night. The meaning of the images is intensified when the language of the journalist puts in a description of the scene, using such phrases such as “tough neighborhood”, “drug-infested”, “times are still tough”, and “his life hit bottom” (Entman & Rojecti 2000: 96). The overall assumption is that poverty is not a social condition for all races. (van Dijik 1998).

It would seem logical that if more minorities were employed in the news media, the representations would be different. However, evidence shows that even in stations that have a high number of minorities in positions of power, there is an unrealistically high ratio of blacks shown in crime stories as compared to stories not related to crime. This is most likely due to profit margins. An additional effect is that the very presence of black anchors and authority figures on television news supports the belief that racial discrimination no longer exists. (Campbell 1995:89) Campbell refers to a statement by a black journalist, Jill Nelson (1993), that “the most successful of us refashion ourselves in the image of white men. We go to Ivy League colleges and socialize primarily with white folks…” Nelson points out that black journalists must be constantly aware that, in dealing with their white editors, their enthusiasm and commitment must not be viewed as “intimidation, anger, of lack or objectivity.” (Campbell 1995:90). In 1979 Gans observed the social order of the newsroom as supporting “the social order of public, business, and professional, upper middle-class, middle-aged, and white male sectors of society” (Campbell 1995: 91). Therefore, the news does not truly reflect the lives of the poor and working-class American.

Some topics in this essay:
African Americans, African American, Entman Rojecti, Entman& Rojecti, Van Dijik, Americans Conclusion, Ivy League, Television Local, Entman Rojecti’s, In-Group Concept, african americans, african american, rojecti 2000, van dijik 1998, local television, van dijik, dijik 1998, entman& rojecti, campbell 1995, entman rojecti, crime poverty, entman rojecti 2000, african american community, entman& rojecti 2000, 1998 african americans,