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Citations Needed

Episode 06: The Media’s Default Setting of White Supremacy

Aug 9, 2017
Dr. Jared A. Ball, a communication studies professor at Morgan State University, discusses how media narratives often facilitate white supremacy. He analyzes the language that downplays state violence and creates false equivalencies between police and victims. The conversation dives into how black victims are often posthumously smeared and how exaggerated threats against police shift blame. Ball explores the media's role in shaping perceptions of systemic racism and the urgent need for accountability in representation.
01:11:23

Episode guests

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The media employs ambiguous language to downplay police violence and obscure accountability, shaping public perceptions of these incidents.
  • Victim smearing tactics in the media draw attention away from police actions, creating a biased narrative that vilifies marginalized victims.

Deep dives

Media Coverage of Police Shootings

The media's framing of police shootings often employs subtle language designed to diminish accountability and obscure the reality of these incidents. The term 'officer-involved shooting' serves as a prime example, removing the sense of agency from police actions and impersonalizing the violence inflicted on victims. This phrase originated from police departments and has seeped into news reports, effectively sanitizing the narrative and deflecting blame from officers. Such language reinforces harmful stereotypes and contributes to a culture of victim-blaming, especially when the victims are from marginalized communities.

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