If you take a look at current media, whether it be TV shows, news, popular music, etc. I think we can all agree, there’s definitely not enough representation. Not only are there just not enough people of color, but it’s also just not proportional to the diversity of our general population. Sure there’s some representation here and there, but I’ve seen lots of people say it’s like you opened up a bag full of M&M’s and instead of seeing a nice mix of those blues, reds, browns, etc. You see an entire bag of blues, and a single yellow. And now you’re supposed to feel appreciative of that. It feels like the bare minimum right?

Not only is it downright discouraging to see such a lack of representation on the daily, but it’s also damaging in so many ways. As pointed out in chapter 14, Ethical Issues in Mass Media, a lot of news rooms tend to be mostly white both on and off screen. With this lack of diversity, a lot of current issues that involve BIPOC are either grossly under reported, or misrepresented. When a place like the news is mostly populated by those with privilege, in this case white privilege, it’s not surprising that majority of the topics reported are from a privileged point of view and analysis. Privilege and lack there of shapes people’s experiences as they go through life, and so their way of perceiving and understanding situations is going to be different depending on their life too. White people are going to be more concerned about what directly affects them, and they’re going to share their analysis of it, based on their experience. A person of color might have concerns about issues other than those mostly being reported, and on those that are, they might have an entirely different viewpoint on the situation. That’s why diversity in media is so important. With more diversity, a wider collection of stories, important to a wider audience, could be reported and there would be multiple valuable takes on what’s being presented. I feel like this would also help provide more relevant news for everyone, and in turn, multiple groups of people can use some of the same sources of information. It’s great to have a couple of sources you go to, but a lot of those considered to be the most trustworthy are mainly white, and thus are bound to run into the issues mentioned above. It’s obvious people are going to want to go somewhere they’re better represented and catered to, but it also leads to a sort of dissonance between the sources different people consider to be the most trustworthy.

There’s a long way to go until I feel the news can truly cater to everyone who needs it sadly. But I hope that’s something our generation and the ones after us can change for the better. Other than the lack of representation both on screen and off, I would like to ask if you feel there are other things that need to change in order to create better news?