The media is the direct correspondence of the few who hold the power and influence over the masses, to those masses. Unwitting citizens around the world alike tune in to the latest blast of information to keep themselves informed, never even considering who creates and distributes the content, and for whom.
Since its inception with the earliest printing presses in the thirteenth century, all media in America has been owned and operated by white men. When put into this context, it becomes easy to see how and why the information that we are inundated with is geared towards one, seemingly dominant race. But a deeper look at the people who are consuming the specified information from these news outlets uncovers an alarming correlation between those “on top” and which information they chose to share with the masses.
Those who commit the murders write the reports.
Ida B. Wells
The Consumers
Who are the people that take in the information handed down by the media? What are their desires, past experiences, or commonalities, and how does this factor into the final product?
Every ten years the U.S. government oversees a massive project to gather a head-count on the people who make up America. Using a variety of methods, they attempt to collect personal data from every single household to gain a better understanding of the population. The main purpose of the census is to “determine how many people live in the United States, as well as their age, sex, and location.” While it’s not sure-proof, the information is used for strategic planning, economic development, and business decisions, among other things.
“Detailed demographic, social, housing and economic data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS) can strengthen and localize many news and feature stories.” Utilizing the information gathered directly from the U.S. Census, the mainstream media caters to the American audience based on these statistics. However, the U.S. Census is rooted in racial and gender discrimination, much like our great nation.
When the census began in 1790, only the head of freed households were counted. It wasn’t until 1870 that slaves were recognized as people, and recorded as such. Beginning in 1960, Americans who were of color were legally required to participate in the survey, but were given one of two choices when recognizing their race: black or mulatto. It wasn’t until the year 2000 that U.S. citizens were given the option of selecting more than one race with which they identify. In fact, from 1790-1950, those who were tasked with collecting the data were also given the choice of how to racially classify the interviewees based on their personal judgments.
The very first census was conducted by Marshal’s on horseback, by men who deemed “race to be a fixed physical characteristic“. The multiple-choice question only had three options to chose from: “free whites, all other free persons, and slaves.” These racial categories were simply a means to reinforce “laws and scientific views” of white superiority. This is where the “one drop” rule still applies, claiming that any amount of “non-white blood” disqualifies an individual from being able to claim “white” on the census. The strict rules and regulations that were passed down directly from the entirely white, male government to the people were created in fear, hatred, and judgment, reiterating their distinct distaste for any human that is non-white.
Naturally, non-white communities have a lack of trust in the government. This is been the justification for skewed numbers over the years, but the issue of the lopsided census is far greater than a simple lack of trust. The missing data points equate to dollars lost for the non-white communities, which directly correlate with growth and opportunity.
“Black people have been under-counted since we were counted as three-fifths of a person, 400 years ago,” says Jeri Green, who spent 20 years working as a Senior Adviser on Civic Engagement at the Census Bureau. “We have always been under-counted, in stark contrast to the white population that has always been over-counted.”
The data used to create the content blasted through our media outlets is skewed to inflate the white population, namely men. Yet, that is exactly who is on the decline in the United States – white men. On the contrary, black males are on the rise in America. The black population as a whole jumped 29% since the year 2000 and is predicted to grow exponentially in the years to come. By the year 2045, America will join the ranks of the rest of the world where whites are the minority. British National Party Chairman Nick Griffin fearfully said: ‘I don’t think there’s any doubt that within this century, white people will be a minority in every country in the world.’
The statistics do not properly correlate to the consumers’ preferences accurately simply because they are purposefully skewed. Women have always intentionally been left out of all strategic efforts, and media distribution is no exception. Yet, that’s primarily who absorbs the content via television, internet, and social media. Women officially exceed men in the U.S. at a ratio of 51% to 47%, and there are only nine states where males make up more the 50% of the population. So women not only consist of the majority of the population of America, but also those who consume media content, and yet, we own 0% of the corporations that distribute the content.
The Corporations
If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed.
Denzel Washington (quoting Mark Twain)
Who is behind the leading media corporations of our country? What are their experiences and intentions? These are but a few of the vital questions we should be asking ourselves before we simply consume the very deliberate daily news.
In 1983, 50 companies dominated the U.S. media. Very quickly; however, that number dropped down to 9 by 1990, and a mere 6 in 2012. In 2019, all of our media was owned and operated by just 5 companies. 15 billionaires own almost all of the U.S. media outlets that are tasked with providing pertinent information to over 382 million American residents. Except for two, all of the major media outlets in our country are owned and operated by privileged, white men. The other two companies are operated by wealthy, foreign men.
Even more alarming are their obvious conflicts of interest that are blatantly ignored. In September 2006 came revelations that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) officials had, since 2003, blocked the release of major reports that showed the danger of allowing a handful of media conglomerates to control communications. The FCC Chairman of the Board is selected by the President, so naturally, it has historically been a white male majority.
These media conglomerates maintain control over what is and what is not shared with consumers through mass media enterprises such as television, radio, publishing, motion pictures, theme parks, and the internet. Every owner of every single major media company in America is a man. It has always been this way, and that’s exactly what keeps this imbalance of power alive today.
All of the power and influence that is yielded through the methods of mass communication is controlled by a handful of men. These same men are also the ones who make it harder for women to excel, no matter what role they hold in the corporation. Women make up 49% of all those in the media and entertainment industry, and they are promoted to a manager level at a rate double that of their male counterparts. However, the higher up you go in the organization, the less diversity you see. In the highest ranks of every corporation in America, women are underrepresented; the arena of media and entertainment is no different with 79% of all c-suite male executives being hired externally, passing up all of the highly qualified and loyal, internal female managers.
These numbers naturally reflect the white authority in our nation, as they do not account for the people of color who are marginalized in the media and entertainment industries. To put it into context, white women consist of 22% of all c-suite roles in the media and entertainment industry, as compared to a pitiful 4% for women of color. Likewise, white women are given greater opportunities to participate in these industries, as is made apparent by the obvious lop-sided statistics. 33% of all entry-level positions go to white women, leaving a petty 17% available to fulfill a quota or offer to women of color. Naturally, this translates through the information that is purposefully shared with the masses.
The Impact
Representation matters. Representation is the way aspects of society are presented to audiences, such as gender, age, and ethnicity. “Representation is how media texts deal with and present gender, age, ethnicity, national and regional identity, social issues and events to an audience.” These media texts have tremendous power to shape and influence public knowledge and opinion.
Ideologies, which are personal ideas and beliefs the media producers hold, are passed down by the male executives in the exclusive upper echelon directly to their consumers. Careful thought goes into how representation is constructed. Certain camera shots and angles can give the illusion of more power and control to individuals, and likewise wider angles can induce the appearance of inferiority. Media producers can manipulate the emotions of the audience by representing certain characters or situations in the editing process.
None of what we see and hear in the media is by accident; on the contrary, everything is calculated and intentional. A study by Neilsen found women, Native Americans, and Latinx were the most underrepresented groups relative to the general population. Indigenous representation is less than one-quarter of their population, totaling just 0.4% across broadcast, cable, and streaming. Women show up onscreen a mere 37.9% despite ruling the majority of the American population, and these numbers only decrease with a woman’s age.
Not only does it make financial sense (a potential $10 Billion in annual revenues) to be more inclusive in the media industries, but it has become financially illogical to support and fund such costly projects that are likely to fail due to lack of representation. Similarly, it is only logical to be more inclusive of women simply because they are the bulk of all the media consumers. Women are not only underrepresented throughout media alike, but they are also misrepresented through stereotypes and gender biases.
Research has consistently shown that children’s interests, ambitions, and skills can be shaped early on by the media they consume and the toys with which they play. Not only does this potentially influence everything from the subjects they choose to study to the careers they ultimately pursue, but consequently, those early experiences can also affect their development and life choices, as well as the composition of our workforce and the strength of our economy for decades to come.
A study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health contributes a global perspective on the issue of gender stereotypes in the media and the impact it has on society, namely kids. “The key finding: whether a child is in Baltimore, Beijing or New Delhi, the onset of adolescence triggers a common set of rigidly enforced gender expectations associated with increased lifelong risks of mental and physical health problems.”
Research has shown that boys and girls as young as six already have ingrained stereotypes, claiming that masculine traits equate to “being smart.” “The study calls it the hegemonic myth – the perception that men are the dominant sex, strong and independent, while women need to be protected.” 69% of men under the age of 35 state that gender stereotyping had long-term damaging effects, most especially on their relationships.
A six-year global study of gender expectations found that no matter where in the world they live, children quickly internalize the myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent. These deliberate attacks on feminine characteristics are the reason for the great imbalance we all feel today.
The solution
Educate yourself first and foremost about the scientific makeup of every Human Being. Once you do, it becomes easier to practice compassion because we ALL have natural masculine and feminine traits. Men experience hormonal upset and imbalances, just like women do. Women have states of peak performance where they are inspired to take physical action in the same way that men do. All humans share and experience a wide range of emotions that are meant to be used for our benefit, despite the media promoting non-emotional males as the ideal.
Advocate for others when you notice gender discrimination. It is so deeply embedded into our DNA that many of us are blind to our own hidden beliefs and biases. This is why it is so important to stay vigilant; because it can easily go unnoticed simply because we’ve been conditioned to think this way through society. Speak up to those around you so they know how and why certain comments and perceptions are offensive.
Boycott certain media outlets simply because they do not align with your perspective or purpose. The news is geared around eliciting reactions based on fear fed by negativity. Now that you know just who is behind the news reports, it should be easier to discern what does and does not align with your life.
Band together because there is power in numbers. They have been able to keep the balance of control and power simply due to their white, male privilege, but the tides are quickly changing. We are on the cusp of major change, and as the majority, we get to decide where to steer the ship.