The article written by Tim Parrish discusses the problem of racism, regarding its possible origins, and steps that could be taken to lessen the issue. Parrish uses the case of Dylann Roof, a person responsible for the Charleston church mass shooting, as an example of the way racism can affect one’s thoughts and the decision-making process (Parrish, 2015). Specifically, the writer highlights how media frequently uses one’s lack of knowledge, fears, or stereotypes to force a reaction, an emotion, or a discussion. The main purpose is to boost the ratings of the channel; however, the act has a negative effect as it discourages one from thinking objectively.
I fully agree with the main ideas of the article, and with the way it affects one’s thought process. Indeed, most news channels are private companies that are owned by millionaires or private companies. Private ownership has an advantage as it discourages political censorship over news that the electorate consumes. However, it creates a system where news channels have to make money or bring non-political value to the owners. As a result, it creates a paradox where news has to be as objective, honest, and reliable as possible, but at the same time have to be profitable and highly viewed.
This paradox is further boosted by the fact that not many people need a deep, objective, and multi-level analysis. I found that people tend to enjoy entertaining programs more and they can easily attach to them. Therefore, a deep-routed analysis of the issues is, in most cases, less likely to stay as profitable as alternative content. The problem is further complicated by social media and platforms such as YouTube. These spaces generate thousands of watch-hours a day, generating millions of views. Consequently, traditional news sources have to find ways to compete to ensure their relevance and longevity. In my opinion, the race-baiting and modulated discussion is the way many media channels try to maintain popularity. Trump’s media personality is a great example of the way loud, uncensored, and biased claims can become the talking point of millions of people.
Also, I agree with the idea that such race-baiting and inaccurate information has an adverse impact on the community. Let us consider the example of COVID-19 for the analysis. The disease spreads via moisture particles and could lead to severe injuries or death. However, the transmission of the pandemic could be stopped fairly easily if people decide to wear masks and limit their social interactions. In reality, we saw that people did not behave sensibly and, in many cases, did not have access to reliable information. One of the major reasons was that people did not trust the news. Indeed, many media channels lied about the effectiveness of masks to prevent their shortage. The decision backfired, and many either lost trust in the news or stopped wearing masks making the scenario even more challenging. The second primary reason is that members of the community did not think of others. In my opinion, one of the primary causes of such egoism is the racial divide and racial stereotypes that are repeatedly mentioned in media. Humanity is lucky that COVID-19 has a relatively low lethality rate. People need to be much more supportive and cooperative if they hope to beat a more severe pandemic in the future.
Reference
Parrish, T. (2015). How hate took hold of me: My friend and I could have been Dylann Roof. How do we get the poison of racism out of more American bloodstreams?. Nydailynews.com. Web.