Media’s Influence on Ethnic Identity and Perception
Media Representation of Ethnicity
Understanding Ethnicity in Media
The media plays a significant role in shaping perceptions of ethnicity. Groups can be labeled through the constant use of identity terms that encode negative social stereotypes.
Over-Ethnicization and De-Ethnicization
In the British media, the label “Black” was often linked with negative connotations, such as hate, conflict, and riots. The reporting of negative topics, such as crime, becomes “over-ethnicized,” while the reporting of positive stories becomes “de-ethnicized.”
Derogatory Language in Media
- Derogatory:
- Demonstrates a critical or disrespectful attitude towards ethnic minority groups.
The Role and Impact of Media
Purposes of Media
We use the media for many different purposes:
- For information
- For entertainment
- For education, through a range of programs for school as well as university broadcasts.
Coined Terms in Media Language
A coined term is a word formed by combining parts of two or more other words, often the beginning of one and the end of another.
For example, infotainment refers to television programs that present information in an entertaining way.
Tabloid vs. Broadsheet Newspapers
Newspapers are broadly categorized into tabloids and broadsheets, each serving different audiences and purposes:
- Tabloids: Considered “popular press.” They are aimed at lower social groupings and are easy to read. They feature short articles, extensive use of images and pictures, and headlines that often include a pun or a joke.
- Broadsheets: Considered “serious” or “quality press.” They are aimed at higher social groupings. They include longer articles, limited or no images, and headlines that are more serious, focusing on “shocking” news rather than jokes.
Comparing The Daily Mail and The Daily Mirror
These two prominent British newspapers illustrate differing political leanings and editorial approaches:
- The Daily Mail: A daily tabloid newspaper with right-wing sympathies, which generally disagreed with the New Labour government headed by Prime Minister Tony Blair.
- The Daily Mirror: Also a red-top tabloid, it tends to have more left-wing opinions but can also be critical of New Labour.
Understanding Deictic Expressions
Deictic expressions relate to or denote a word or expression whose meaning is dependent on the context in which it is used.
Mitigated and Unmitigated Language
- Mitigated:
- Means to make a situation or the effect of something less unpleasant, harmful, or serious. Thus, a mitigated phrase is used to make a piece of news less shocking.
- Unmitigated:
- Used to describe something that is completely bad or good, emphasizing its positive or negative characteristics.
The Nuance of Ethnic Identity
Ethnic identity is neither clear-cut nor uniform. Certain characteristics may be given priority over others in the formulation of ethnic labels. Such labels all feed into the different ‘angles of telling’ that can be adopted in representing and reinforcing perceptions of ethnicity.
In particular, the ‘angle’ on ethnic minority groups, as told by majority groups, can have powerful effects on perception, since these narratives are disseminated through mainstream ‘norm-upholding’ branches of institutions such as the media and the educational system. The majority group comes to be seen and talked about as the norm, and that of minority groups as ‘other.’
Key Definitions
Ethnicity Defined
- Ethnicity:
- Refers to the common characteristics of a group of people, especially regarding ancestry, culture, language, or national experience.
Ethnic Defined
- Ethnic:
- Relating to a group of people having common racial, national, religious, or cultural origins.