The Fault in our News ?

ter·ror·ist

ˈterərəst/

noun

1. a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims

      It is such a pity that the world has become so accustomed to terrorist attacks around the world as if they are a normal and expected part of our routine. But what is even more disheartening is how the media presents each incident. You see, terrorism has an exception: whiteness. 

      For example, in the tragedy of Charleston, where a white gunman opened fire in a black church, the media coverage was biased to say the least. The first comments that the media made were how the shooter was most likely "mentally ill" and how he suffered from a "dysfunctional mental health system". Not once did they refer to him as a "terrorist" or a "thug", and perhaps it was because he was white... 

     If killing innocent lives in order to establish a race's supremacy isn't considered terrorism, then we better reform the meaning of terrorism. 

     Compare that to any other crimes committed by people of color; they are almost always referred to as "terrorists" or as "thugs". If the Charleston shooter in not called a terrorist because he had "mental illness", then what about the neglected and racist society that some criminals of color experience ? I am in no way attempting to justify the actions of any criminal, but in order to solve the lasting prejudice in our societies, media needs to equally cover news.

    This leads to another long lasting problem in society. One of the questions that the survey we took in class asked was if " you feel your race is represented", and for minorities, news coverage is crucial in how they are perceived. African Americans on TV are mostly branded as "thugs", so an African American boy will rarely see any positive reaffirmation about their race in media. This will create a feedback loop where African Americans are portrayed as criminals.