The Misrepresentation of Minorities in the Mass Media

The Misrepresentation of Minorities

In the Mass Media

Ms. Matthews

Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School

It’s six o’clock and the nightly news is on. You turn on your TV and what do you see? There’s been a shooting in the Bronx, a robbery in Manhattan, and another drug bust in Spanish Harlem. What do you think the perpetrators look like? More importantly, why is that?

TASK: Here’s the deal. You just got this awesome job as an MTV news correspondent. Now, you have your first assignment. You are to do a feature story on the representation of minorities in the mass media. For starters, you gotta know what the heck “mass media” means.

So, here you go:

The mass media is the whole body of media, reaching large numbers of the public. It includes radio, television, newspapers, advertisements and magazines. The mass media reaches a mass audience.

Now that you know that, your job is to present the story and show why it is said that media sources often misrepresent minorities or under represent minorities. Then, offer some ideas as to how that might be changed. And remember, you want to make a good first impression on your boss!

How? In order to do that you must first investigate how racial minorities are portrayed by the mass media of New York City. To do that, you will need to:

· Find real examples in New York City of three different media sources that represent racial minorities. Choose from the list provided in the definition above.

· Determine if minority groups are being distorted or misused.

· Then write the story, showcasing exactly how the three media sources you found depict racial minorities.

· It is important that you include ideas for how to change the problem of the representation of minorities in the mass media.

· Don’t forget the correct format: Two pages, Double-spaced, 12 point, and Times New Roman.

The Process:

You will be working individually to fill out each of these worksheets and turn in your two-page story.

Define the problem. Worksheet #1

Gather evidence. Worksheet #2

Identify Causes of the problem. Worksheet #3

Evaluate existing policies. Worksheet #4

Develop your own solutions. Worksheet #5

Choose the best solution. Worksheet #6

Internet research sources:

The Media and Minorities

http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article231.html

http://www.homeinc.org/WBT/Media%20&%20Disrespect.htm

http://www.fair.org/articles/racism-media.html

http://www.medialit.org/reading_room/article241.html

http://www.alternet.org/module/printversion/12841

New York City Sources

http://gonyc.about.com/od/newstvradio/index_a.htm

http://www.pubadvocate.nyc.gov/speeches_testimony/nielsentest041904.shtml

Rubric to be used:

Corresponding Grade: 4=A, 3=B, 2=C, 1=D

CATEGORY	4	3	2	1
Organization	Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings.	Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs.	Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well-constructed.	The information appears to be disorganized. 8)
Quality of Information	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples.	Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given.	Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic.
Internet Use	Successfully uses suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Usually able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Occasionally able to use suggested internet links to find information and navigates within these sites easily without assistance.	Needs assistance or supervision to use suggested internet links and/or to navigate within these sites.
Mechanics	No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.	Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors	A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors.	Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors.

Standards Used in the Project

English Language Arts

Standard E2a: Student Creates a Written Report

Standard E1c: Student Reads Informational Materials

Standard E3d: Student Makes Informed Decisions about Media Sources

Standard E4a: Student demonstrates an Understanding of the English Language

Standard E7a: Student Critiques Functional Documents

Conclusion:

Upon completion of this project, you should be able to recognize the quality of representation of racial minorities in the mass media. Instead of mindlessly absorbing the portrayals of minorities in advertisements, television programs, radio commentary, and news programming, you will be able to judge how well-rounded and realistic they truly are.

The stereotyping, degrading, and distortion of minorities in the mass media cannot be considered an accident. Understanding how these stereotypes and misrepresentations affect the public image of minorities can directly change how students view themselves and others around them. You will learn how to think critically about what you see through media sources. In doing this assignment, you will learn how to counter the current lack of policy surrounding this social problem. In addition, you will learn how to use the Internet as a researching tool. Finally, you, as a student, will gain a better understanding of public policy and the avenues available for creating real change.