Media Portrayal

The media plays a significant role on shaping our perceptions of others. It is one of the main ways we learn about those different to us. However, many representations are based on stereotypes which can lead to a distorted view of others.

Black men are constantly portrayed both the media and entertainment. Images of black men are often linked to crime, with positive images only linked to music and sports. Despite the reality that crime happens equally by both white and black, the media exaggerates more black crime: 66.9% of media coverage of young black men was crime-related (Gov Reach Program); black people are 8x more likely to get stopped and searched by police, than white.

The London riots of 2011 are a prime example of this bias. Newspaper headlines mainly featured black men (all but one I could find), and whilst group photos showed both white and black people involved, it is only black being arrested by the police (that I could find).