How Various Television Programs View Minorities and How They Are Portrayed

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How Various Television Programs View Minorities and How They Are Portrayed
Media shapes our understanding of race and ethnicity. Many people regard television as a tool that reflects the real world. Television portrayal of ethnic minorities has influenced audience’s perception by stereotyping minorities. Both news and entertainment media display negative images of African-American that contrast with reality. Media representation of minorities has not been positive particularly for African Americans. Media portrays misconstructed images of what African American represent. Watching television can lead viewers to believe that all African –Americans are uneducated or are drug dealers as depicted in some of the movies series in the US like Law and Order.
Stereotypes are evident by the roles played by African American in many dramatic and comedic sitcoms. Sitcoms depict minorities unproportionately compared to their population, most of the time; the minority characters that do exist tend to play secondary roles. As a result, everything people believe about blacks is determined by what they see on television. Most television stations have been cited for airing contents that is exaggerated as it displays African American and other ethnic minorities as lawbreakers. One of the studies conducted recently indicated that newsrooms content highlight crimes related to ethnic minorities more than other crimes. Ownership of media has significantly contributed to the negative image being portrayed about minorities. Even though most television stations broadcast ...