Media Bias Frenzy

Professor Lewis's lecture was an eye opener for me in many ways. I have not been totally oblivious to media and racial bias's but it never really registered how insidious and pervasive it is in the news, on T.V., in books and just all around us in general. When Prof. Lewis showed us the picture with the model and the black athlete next to the fashion magazine cover, my jaw dropped. My head said, was that deliberate or just a huge coincidence? I could not believe that someone purposely dug up the picture and set up the photo shot deliberately, and for what hidden agenda?It makes you think we really haven't come that far as a society.
I really enjoyed Prof. Lewis's lecture and he held me captive the whole class. He certainly knows how to engage an audience. He was sharp, knowledgeable, funny, sarcastic, but not in a bad way, and very good at explaining concepts. I definitely will look at media coverage with a more discerning and critical eye. I'm going to ask myself, what exactly is this person or persons trying to say and what's the motivation behind it. We have to look for those little subliminal messages that hover just under the surface, daring us to find them. Honestly, sometimes we choose to ignore them because it's easier and doesn't require much thought and energy.
The most recent example of media bias that I witnessed was on recent covers of US Magazine. Now I usually read this magazine while waiting on line at Waldbaum's supermarket as a form of harmless entertainment. However the disparity between the two covers was quite blatant even for a mindless fool. The presidential election is a minefield of racial and media bias. On this occasion the first cover was of the Obama's embracing with blazing white smiles on their faces, and the headline read, "Why Barack Loves her." Underneath the picture, it states, " she shops at Target, loved Sex and the City and never misses the girl's recital." The untold romance between a down-to-earth Mom and the man who calls her "my rock". A few weeks later they had Sarah Palin holding her Down's syndrome baby, and this time the headline read, " Babies, Lies, and Scandal." Underneath her picture it said, " Under attack, admits daughter 17, is pregnant, Investigation for firing sister's ex-husband" and lastly, " Mom of five: New embarrassing surprises."
Now I don't need to be hit over the head to see the bias between these two covers, but I honestly gave no thought as to who was behind this tabloid magazine's political agenda, and I should have. Like the fact that the publisher is a Obama supporter and the magazine is pandering to the 12 million female readers it has. I fell right into that trap! Here you have Obama portrayed as the loving father and husband, while Palin is the mother who can't control her whole family, let alone a country. Good -Bad, White - Black, positive - negative, Man - Woman, mixed messages assaulting the reader. Is this good journalism? Some would say its trash and not worthy of being called journalism. I think at times it definitely goes against the principles of good journalism. Often times the story is not based on truth or honest facts, sources are not verified or corroborated and the author just plain out lies or makes up the story to sell issues. I guess this is why they are often sued in court for their deceit.
I learned a new word from Prof. Lewis, and that was racialization and that these two covers are an example of implicit bias. My eyes have been opened and there is an expression, " fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!"