Media Bias Effects All Whites And Blacks

Two friends, Claxton Graham and Stephen Lonewolf Makama, both Internet columnists, both African Americans posed the following question to their readers. Why didn’t Latoiya Figueroa, an attractive, pregnant black lady get the same media coverage when she disappeared as Lacy Peterson, and the Hollaway girl. Their articles assumed the public didn’t care about a young black girl as much as if she were white. My two friends couldn’t be more wrong. The public does care when informed. The media dropped the ball in the case of Ms. Figueroa. The media would rather spend time in sunny California and sunnier Aruba than Pennsylvania. Or it could be media bias, the media may think the public isn’t interested in a black person disappearing. The public has no way of following what they don’t know about. The public cares in every case when informed.

The police in Pennsylvania didn’t stop looking for Ms. Figueroa. The concerned citizens of Pennsylvania didn’t stop caring. The efforts to find her went on, the story wasn’t told. The public can’t be blamed for what they don’t know about.

The media is responsible for the poor race relations in this country. They fuel the discontent by creating a division of the races. An example if a young white man or woman is arrested on a felony charge race / color is never mentioned. If the felon is Black or Hispanic it’s always pointed out by the media. If an employer or businessperson refers to race or color, they’re subject to legal penalties. Why does the media get a pass?

It’s not the public that has a bias, it’s the media who says the public has a bias. There’s still prodigious in the world and in America. It’s not just against Blacks, Hispanics, and Jews. It’s against anything or anyone outside the norm. Blacks and Hispanics are as guilty of prodigious as whites are. A media who would rather report controversy than good news feeds it. A public who prefer controversy to good news feeds it. Like anything when feed it grows. Therefore it’s up to the individual to discern the difference and make a difference. It’s time for both white and black to stop playing the blame game. It’s time to look on the positive side and act accordingly. Politics, politicians, and government can’t do it, the public must do it.

My friends Claxton, Stephan, and I have had many discussions on he subject of race relations. So far, we haven’t agreed on much but we keep trying and that’s a good thing. The problem with us and the rest of the public there’s no desire to meet in the middle. Each wants the other to go the extra step. In our minds, we know we are right and they are stubborn, in our hearts, we know they are right and we are stubborn. In my 50 years in America, I’ve seen blacks go from the back of the bus, to the center of the bus, to driving the bus, to owning the bus. Unfortunately, some refuse to leave the back of the bus and blame it on the white community. Whites are to self-absorbed to care, they expect each to make it on their own steam, regardless of color. America is the land of opportunity. There’re no restrictions on who gets to share in the opportunities this country offers. All it takes is the will and the effort to succeed. This country went trough 190 years of growth and prosperity before the government told us we couldn’t make it with out their help.

The next time someone is about to use one of those stereotype comment defining another person of a different race, religion or color. I hope they’ll look in a mirror and count their warts. And yes let the media know we don’t appreciate being cast in one mold.