Racial hostility within the media Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9000 words

Racial hostility within the media - Dissertation Example Various researchers have pointed out that media has played an important role in terms of shaping the perceptions, beliefs and attitudes of people towards members of minority groups. In the United States of America, it was perceived that the media played a significant role in emphasizing the historical oppression and oppression of the African-Americans in relation to their White counterparts. In view of the same, researchers showed that the White Americans tend to have a complete lack of understanding towards the African-Americans. It is in this particular context that the researcher looked into the experiences of Michelle Obama during her husband’s presidential campaign in 2008. ... gainst a white oppressor† Generally, the racist comments were caused by the fact that Americans are not used to the fact that a Black Woman would take her place as the country’s first lady. Respondents in this particular study noted that the country is yet to be accustomed to such fact, thus they was not willing to accept Michelle Obama, thus the racist comments. Chapter 1 Introduction Background of the Study The media is known to be a very powerful institution that has been established within a democratic community. It aims to transmit and communicate cultural ideas, images, myths, and sequences of events (Nairn, Pega, McCreanor, Rankine, and Barnes 2006). Media discourse remains to be a significant means of reproducing shared beliefs and fundamental values of the society. Hence, the media plays a relevant role for exchanging opinions, knowledge, and information. The media, per se, have become a major instrument with which countries can establish and publicize its ideal s as they are expected to express a wide range of viewpoints, remain as objective and neutral as possible, and provide access to various groups, regardless of gender, racial background, religion, social class, and sexual orientation, to name a few (Wetherell and Potter 1992). Print and electronic media has made a significant impact on the daily lives of communities and its members as the television, radio, and print media, among other types of media, present the components out of which individuals can establish identities and make sense of themselves (e.g. meaning of one’s own gender, ethnicity, and national identity). Moreover, it enables the society to differentiate and understanding what it means to be â€Å"us† and â€Å"them† (McQuail 2000). At present, although the media is expected to reflect