There is great variation in the way in which ethnic minorities are portrayed in the media and we must not make the mistake of believing that all ethnic minorities are portrayed in the same way. It is also questionable as to whether the medias representation of ethnic minorities is always bad.

The media often prioritises the live the lives of white people over the lives of ethnic minorities. For example, in Britain, large disasters in other countries are barely covered. The news is depicted as only important if British lives were lost or endangered. This implies that the lives of others are simply less important in the eyes of the British media.

Black people, particularly Afro-Caribbeans are often portrayed in the media as criminals. This is supported by the study by Van Dijk revealed that black crime and violence dominates issues in ethnic coverage. The coverage of hurricane Katrina sparked the phrase "White people find, black people loot" when referring to the measures people were taking to ensure their own survival. The measures taken by black people were portrayed as negative whereas the measures taken by white people were "necessary". The word black' is often used as a prefix for offenders of ethnic minorities. Although black people are often portrayed as criminals to be feared, they 36 times more likely than white person to be a victim of a violent attack.

Due to the medias insinuation that the problems of developing countries are the result of tribal conflict, laziness, unstable political regimes and corruption many assume that governments are inadequate. These countries, although trapped in a cycle of deprivation by the west, are portrayed as constantly depending on the west to assist them. It is a common occurrence; the generous west doing the good deed of helping the poor and needy people in other countries.

Many areas of the media make stereotypes of ethnic minorities whose norms and values differ from their own. Asian families are often shown to be cold and overbearing forcing daughters into loveless marriages. Forced marriages are rare occurrences. This is one of the portrayals of Asians that Asian viewers have complained about as a survey by Ethnic Focus (2003) states. The other portrayal complained about was that Asians are billionaires who had gone to the western world with nothing. The media also tends to portray some Asian people as unnaturally smart. Although this could been seen as a positive portrayal it can lead to unfair expectations of Asian people.

In addition to the threat of violence, ethnic minorities are portrayed as a threat in different ways. Ethnic minorities, particularly asylum seekers, are portrayed as people going to the western world to exploit the welfare state and steal the jobs, housing, and other facilities of the people of the western world.

Learn more about this author, Sapphire M. Brown.
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