09-24-2006, 06:41 PM
<b>Media Bias Against Indians in Trinidad </b>
<b>Afro-Trinis in front</b>
<i>"The press, as a powerful instrument in the moulding of public
opinion.should exercise great care in the publication of material that may
adversely affect race relations." Principle No 6, Principles of Fairness Committee</i>
Throughout my life as a young, Indo-Trini male, I've heard the same stories
you have about how ethnic groups are depicted in the media. Even when I
began working in journalism six years ago, I was warned about certain ethnic
imbalances. Thus, when I had to decide on an undergraduate thesis topic, I
decided to find out if at least one of these stereotypes was true.
As a cultural practice that enables other social action, the mass media is
increasingly central to people's formation of beliefs, and to creating
meaning. Furthermore, with commercial success as the ultimate goals of media
houses, the media is not a neutral agent.
The media, therefore, treads on dangerous territory when it comes to race.
According to an ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre poll, most
Trinidadians and Tobagonians believe race relations are deteriorating, and
that not enough is being done to bring about racial harmony.
The media-while aiming to satisfy its readership, remain profitable, and
adhere to its ideologies-runs the risk of alienating or provoking entire
race groups if they (race groups) feel misrepresented or underrepresented.
That newspapers do not adhere to any set code of ethics in T&T is,
therefore, a point of concern.
Distorted coverage
Today, Indo-Trinidadians comprise the largest single race group in T&T and
have appreciably increased their media presence.
Yet, newspapers remain the site of controversy. The charge is that
Indo-Trinidadians are not only misrepresented, but also underrepresented,
and that preference (such as front-page positioning) continues to be granted
to Afro-Trinidadian culture, religion and public figures.
Conversely, in the zeal to capitalise on this "niche market" and to present
a more "neutral" image, some people believe Afro-Trinidadian content has
considerably faded based on the fact that, within a swift
period-1986-present-media targeting Indo-Trinidadians has proliferated. The
overall portrayal of national culture, therefore, has opened up and the
representation of other cultures is, perhaps, seen as a negative definition,
projecting what "national" culture is not.
After examining the front pages of two national newspapers over a one-year
period, it was discovered that the former perception holds true.
In 2004, 55 per cent of references, both syntactic and photographic, were
made to Afro-Trinidadians. Indo-Trinidadians received 32 per cent of
front-page coverage, and mixed/other groups, 13 per cent.
In particular, 71 per cent of references to "culture" were actually
references to Afro-Trinidadians, 16 per cent to mixed/other groups, and 13
per cent to Indo-Trinidadians. Afro-Trinidadians also formed the bulk of
political references, and most of those made regarding Indo-Trinidadians
dealt with race issues (such as, coincidentally, charges of racial bias, eg
Maha Sabha radio licence issue).
The only category in which Afro-Trinidadians were statistically eclipsed was
crime; Indo-Trinidadians were more frequently presented as victims,
Afro-Trinidadians as perpetrators.
Race issues were presented within a strict framework of conflict. Concrete,
transitive verbs such as "denied," "charges," "slams," and "rejects" were
paired with abstract nouns-bloodshed," "row" and "bias"-creating a
linguistic context of conflict, violence and injustice.
There were few, if any, deliberate depictions of racial unity. National
culture (Carnival, Independence Day celebrations) was invariably shown to
comprise Afro-Trinidadians.
One glaring Emancipation Day caption spoke of "honouring the traditions of
our ancestors."
Establishment endures
The historical imbalance of newspaper content regarding race has endured,
corroborating with the projections of Selwyn Ryan and John La Guerre,
formerly of the Centre for Ethnic Studies, UWI.
Overall, more than one-half of newspaper front-page content-the preferred
and most important position in newspapers-is devoted to a single group,
while the multitude of others is left to share a disproportionate slice of
the print media's pie.
In a society that has perhaps more race variations than one could count, and
in a nation where Afro-Trinidadians are not the largest single race group,
the media hazard alienating and even inciting entire groups when they are
continually disregarded. In the portrayal of national society, minority
groups such as the Chinese and Portuguese are largely ignored, and the
majority group, Indo-Trinidadians, is underrepresented.
The frameworks adopted in news on race issues are especially disturbing. In
the pursuit of racial unity, newspapers should be reminded of their
imperative role in belief formation: that projecting a positive image could,
indeed, lead to positive results.
The study demonstrated the need for guidelines on ethics and fairness in the
way newspapers present race issues to emphasise certain ideals, notably
representative democracy.
<b>Afro-Trinis in front</b>
<i>"The press, as a powerful instrument in the moulding of public
opinion.should exercise great care in the publication of material that may
adversely affect race relations." Principle No 6, Principles of Fairness Committee</i>
Throughout my life as a young, Indo-Trini male, I've heard the same stories
you have about how ethnic groups are depicted in the media. Even when I
began working in journalism six years ago, I was warned about certain ethnic
imbalances. Thus, when I had to decide on an undergraduate thesis topic, I
decided to find out if at least one of these stereotypes was true.
As a cultural practice that enables other social action, the mass media is
increasingly central to people's formation of beliefs, and to creating
meaning. Furthermore, with commercial success as the ultimate goals of media
houses, the media is not a neutral agent.
The media, therefore, treads on dangerous territory when it comes to race.
According to an ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre poll, most
Trinidadians and Tobagonians believe race relations are deteriorating, and
that not enough is being done to bring about racial harmony.
The media-while aiming to satisfy its readership, remain profitable, and
adhere to its ideologies-runs the risk of alienating or provoking entire
race groups if they (race groups) feel misrepresented or underrepresented.
That newspapers do not adhere to any set code of ethics in T&T is,
therefore, a point of concern.
Distorted coverage
Today, Indo-Trinidadians comprise the largest single race group in T&T and
have appreciably increased their media presence.
Yet, newspapers remain the site of controversy. The charge is that
Indo-Trinidadians are not only misrepresented, but also underrepresented,
and that preference (such as front-page positioning) continues to be granted
to Afro-Trinidadian culture, religion and public figures.
Conversely, in the zeal to capitalise on this "niche market" and to present
a more "neutral" image, some people believe Afro-Trinidadian content has
considerably faded based on the fact that, within a swift
period-1986-present-media targeting Indo-Trinidadians has proliferated. The
overall portrayal of national culture, therefore, has opened up and the
representation of other cultures is, perhaps, seen as a negative definition,
projecting what "national" culture is not.
After examining the front pages of two national newspapers over a one-year
period, it was discovered that the former perception holds true.
In 2004, 55 per cent of references, both syntactic and photographic, were
made to Afro-Trinidadians. Indo-Trinidadians received 32 per cent of
front-page coverage, and mixed/other groups, 13 per cent.
In particular, 71 per cent of references to "culture" were actually
references to Afro-Trinidadians, 16 per cent to mixed/other groups, and 13
per cent to Indo-Trinidadians. Afro-Trinidadians also formed the bulk of
political references, and most of those made regarding Indo-Trinidadians
dealt with race issues (such as, coincidentally, charges of racial bias, eg
Maha Sabha radio licence issue).
The only category in which Afro-Trinidadians were statistically eclipsed was
crime; Indo-Trinidadians were more frequently presented as victims,
Afro-Trinidadians as perpetrators.
Race issues were presented within a strict framework of conflict. Concrete,
transitive verbs such as "denied," "charges," "slams," and "rejects" were
paired with abstract nouns-bloodshed," "row" and "bias"-creating a
linguistic context of conflict, violence and injustice.
There were few, if any, deliberate depictions of racial unity. National
culture (Carnival, Independence Day celebrations) was invariably shown to
comprise Afro-Trinidadians.
One glaring Emancipation Day caption spoke of "honouring the traditions of
our ancestors."
Establishment endures
The historical imbalance of newspaper content regarding race has endured,
corroborating with the projections of Selwyn Ryan and John La Guerre,
formerly of the Centre for Ethnic Studies, UWI.
Overall, more than one-half of newspaper front-page content-the preferred
and most important position in newspapers-is devoted to a single group,
while the multitude of others is left to share a disproportionate slice of
the print media's pie.
In a society that has perhaps more race variations than one could count, and
in a nation where Afro-Trinidadians are not the largest single race group,
the media hazard alienating and even inciting entire groups when they are
continually disregarded. In the portrayal of national society, minority
groups such as the Chinese and Portuguese are largely ignored, and the
majority group, Indo-Trinidadians, is underrepresented.
The frameworks adopted in news on race issues are especially disturbing. In
the pursuit of racial unity, newspapers should be reminded of their
imperative role in belief formation: that projecting a positive image could,
indeed, lead to positive results.
The study demonstrated the need for guidelines on ethics and fairness in the
way newspapers present race issues to emphasise certain ideals, notably
representative democracy.