A Matter of Perspective 0
Some while ago, I heard a black actor I forget who talk about breaking into the Hollywood movie industry. He said one thing that stuck in my mind, that, if a black man wants to be an actor, he must accept that his first roles will be as a criminal or a thug.
It is distressing that that is the case. And it doesn’t stop with “entertainment” casting, as Professor Sonora Jha of Seattle University points out in considering news coverage of race-related issues. She considers the coverage of events in Ferguson, Missouri:
Such “ghettoized” representation of diverse communities in news coverage is nothing new. Indeed, research has shown over and over again that news media tend to focus on white, authoritative, male sources. This preference becomes especially heightened in coverage of crime, disaster and even civil disobedience.
Do read the rest. It helps explain why David Brooks still has a job.
