Police Prejudice and Racism Essay - 3516 Words

There are many instances where minorities are not given the chance to prosper in American society. The same system that promises all men equal opportunity has turned its back in the face of minorities. We plan to examine some segments of this system, namely the media and the criminal justice system, exposing injustices burdening minorities in America. The media, in particular broadcasting news, has catered to stereotypes of non-whites by over-representing minorities as the assailants in violent crime. These types of practices are clearly detrimental to the advancement of those who have been handicapped by the ignorance of the past. In the first part of the paper we examine the effects of the rise of local news, charting specific studies†¦show more content†¦Despite the fact that television is still the dominant source, there have been shifts involving the consumption of news programming. There has been a significant fall in the reliance of the networks and their national newscasts for Americas news. Today more people are relying on the reports given by local news programs than on that of the networks. Several surveys have recorded this shift as early as 1993, denoting that much of America cites local news on television as their major source of information. An even stronger argument than media usage surveys is the relative share of viewing audience commanded by either network or local news programs. Based on Nielsen audience ratings from the country’s two largest media markets (Los Angeles and New York), it is clear that the number of Americans who tune in to local news programs on a daily basis far exceeds those who watch national newscasts. Averaging across both markets, the cumulative audience for evening local news easily surpasses the cumulative audience for national news. (Iyengar Reeves, 1997) The immense audiences for local news show basic changes in television programming. All over the country today, local news programs air in the morning, afternoon, evening, prime time arid even late night. The weekly total of hours devoted to local news programming in Los Angeles and New York are 97Show MoreRelatedRacism And The South And Police Brutality1378 Words   |  6 PagesRacism is prejudice plus power (influence, status and authority). It exists in many different forms and in almost every facade of society; from subtle discrimination in everyday life and scandals in politics, to occurrences like lynching’s in the South and Police Brutality. 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