Introduction
Media is expected to be one of the most potent democracy tools providing individuals with objective and accurate information about important events. Unfortunately, in numerous cases, it fails to perform its central function. For instance, journalists might be biased when speaking about racial issues or protests promoting injustice and systemic racism. News reports rely heavily on the one-sided white perspective, which creates false representations among readers. Similar ideas are touched upon in the article by Sarah Jackson.
Discussion
Using several strong examples, the author attracts attention to the problem of false or distorted information offered by the media. Jackson (2020) says that “media coverage continues to reinforce stereotypes of black incivility and denigrate the legitimacy of black outrage” (para. 3). It leads to the creation of the wrong representations among individuals who do not have other sources of information and rely on newspapers. Moreover, relying on police and government sources, the media fails to outline the real causes of social activism (Jackson, 2020). It becomes crucial when speaking about the themes of police violence and racial protests. The author also says that journalists might use passive or ambiguous language to minimize the importance of specific facts and shift priorities (Jackson, 2020). In such a way, media becomes a strong persuasion tool impacting readers’ mentalities and worldviews to support the dominant idea.
Conclusion
In such a way, the article reveals the problems of media regarding the objectivity of presented information and its ability to create clear images. The choice of language to speak about some problems reduces their importance and hides real causes. This approach can seriously challenge democracy and deteriorate the image of media and its trustworthiness.
Reference
Jackson, S. (2020). The headlines that are covering up police violence. The Atlantic. Web.