The Media’s Influence on the Public’s Perception of Multicultural Affairs

Critical Project 4

The Media’s Influence on the Public’s Perception of Multicultural Affairs

By: Marijana Ljutic

A heated debate that is brewing throughout the nation in the field of education is

the impact of the media on multicultural affairs. In modern societies, the media plays a

significant part in shaping our ideas and perspectives on various topics. As educators it is

important to use the media in classroom as an effective tool of learning. It can be used to

transmit current and past events as well as a visual aid for our language learners.

Who is a consumer of the media? - Children, adolescents and adults of varying ages and

intellects are all consumers of some form of mass media whether it be newspapers,

televisions, internet or radio. The influence of the media is effective and widespread upon

its viewers. In this digital age, the media has become an all-encompassing phenomenon.

The media portrays many biases towards multicultural issues. It is a common

consensus among consumers that what is portrayed on screen or through other

audio/visual means is not always ‘reality’ and correct. The lines between reality and

fiction have become blurred with the media’s influence and biases. Using the media in

the classroom for instructional purposes is a sensitive topic because the questions always

are: ‘How are my multicultural students seeing their cultures/races being portrayed

through this lens? How do I as an educator critically evaluate the media available in

the classroom for students? When does the media and the use of media become too

much? Are students’ critical thinking skills utilized during the media instruction or have

they become desensitized to the images on the screen or audio medium? and finally

How can I monitor students’ use of Internet media in the classroom for safety reasons?’

These questions are ever-present in deciphering the media’s influence on our ideas of

multicultural affairs.

On the opposite side of the debate, there are various deterrents to using media in

the classroom. Since its conception, the media has opened a platform for

communication/conversation reacting to social, political, and cultural events. Author

Gary L. Anderson (2007) in his article Media’s Impact on Educational Policies and

Practices: Political Spectacle and Social Control states that there are distorted and

inaccurate information and realities presented in the media about all topics of interests,

but it is left up to the educated consumer to be sophisticated in detecting these distortions

(Anderson, 2007). On behalf of the media’s defense, there are benefits to it impact on

multicultural affairs, Anderson states:

The media’s strategic importance in promoting social agendas has always been apparent, but with the advent of television in the years after World War II, its importance grew exponentially and continues to grow in the age of the Internet. Television helped to legitimate the Civil Rights Movement by showing snarling dogs attacking young Black protesters, and it was Nixon’s televised “five o’clock shadow” that some say lost him his first presidential election (Anderson, 2007, p. 104).

The Civil Rights Movement, as an example, was publicized by the use of

television, radio and newspaper mediums to shed light on the issue of equality amongst

races in the land of equal opportunity. This important historical movement led to the

progress of human rights and providing steps towards establishing toleration, equality,

and legislation protecting racial differences in the United States. The event would not

have been possible without the media’s influence. The media does more than any other

industry to draw attention to injustices and provide opportunities to voice the dissention

of its citizens.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the media’s presentation, one cannot negate

the power that this form of communication has on society as a whole. Multicultural

affairs have gained renewed momentum in the visual mediums. Media personnel from

different races and cultural backgrounds have been shown in prominent positions on

television. An opportunity to voice views divergent from the majority in a media outlet is

allowed to be presented. The media has still more progress to make in creating and

supplying an outlet for equality on multicultural affairs. As an educator, the films,

magazines, television shows, and music that are created specifically for adolescents is

alarming. Many are racially charged with material that is inaccurate and at times can be

offensive culturally stereotyping a group of people that should not be seen in a negative

light. According to Anderson, “Hollywood film producers, targeting the teenage market,

have constructed highly distorted views of urban and suburban schools and the youth

who inhabit them” (Anderson, 2007, 105). This is why as an educator one must carefully

teach students how to be critical and analytical thinkers and consumers of the media.

One needs to be mindful that ‘entertainment’ should never be at the cost of another

culture’s expense or misery.



Reference

Anderson, G. (2007). Media's Impact on Educational Policies and Practices: Political
Spectacle and Social Control. Peabody Journal of Education, 82(1), 103-120. Retrieved on
14 October 2009 from http://search.ebscohost.com.avoserv.library.fordham.edu.