1) Examination – relationship between
audiences of the media and the messages they transmit.
- Theorists
focus on issues around ‘textuality’ and ‘context’ by analysing how various
media forms choose to select and present information on different racial
groups.
2) Investigation – possible connections
between the consumers of media images and those in control of its output
- Dynamics
between ownership, control and content
- Focuses
on the ‘process’ of media production and considers wider social, political and
economic implications of the media
- It
is connected with issues of authorship and examines whether those in control of
output (largely white middle class men) effects the type of images the media
produces.
Functionalist Vs The
Marxist
1) The
functionalist view, argues that program makers ‘cater for what the public
wants’ and simply reflects attitudes, tastes and opinions on ethnicity
2) The
Marxist view is that those in the control of the media output shape how
audiences view race.
Equal opportunities
-Following viewer
complaints and general criticism, this concept was taken seriously by the BBC
in 1977 when the committee ruled that; ‘liberal pluralism’ must be the ethos
behind programming in order to ensure ‘Good broadcasting’ would reflect the
competing demands of a society which was increasingly multi-racial and
pluralist’ (BBC charter 1977)
Liberal Pluralism – A philosophy and political principle
that argues for the universality (“sameness”) of humanity
This does of course scream ‘STEREOTYPING,’ and
as Malik argues they are; “palatable because they help us to decode people.
They simplify the world and its subjects. Thus the ‘Asian immigrant’ or the
‘Black mugger’ tells us more than just that; our stream of consciousness builds
on the basic information (issues of language, cultural values, social
background etc automatically follow) to create detailed (though not necessarily
accurate) profiles of what a person constitutes.
“We often find it easier to blame/focus on the stereotypes than appropriate
blame on those who control them…the way we use stereotypes in cultural
production is as revealing as which stereotypes we choose to represent.
Stereotypes, in themselves, are not necessarily offensive or harmful, but the
interests they can serve and the context in which they are used can be.” (Malik
1998).
Mise en Scene
Stereotype that all gang members are black (Malik 1998) “black mugger” and
have a gun and the majority of police officers are white.
Includes
one or two black police officers – equal oppoturtunties (BBC charter 1977)
Inner
city London, flat block – usually people of ethnic origin – it shows these
people live in not very nice houses with mess and graffiti every where, like a
squat.
Doors
have no windows because it’s a dangerous area and they may get smashed.
People
in charge are white reflects that people high in media output are largely white
middle class men (Malik 1998)
Black
person in tracksuit – lower class
Black
people causing trouble – shown because people don’t want things to be too
politically correct (sivanandan 1983)
