‘The media is part of the problem, not the solution!’

Ara Iskanderian, a British-Armenian interning in MRG’s publications department, reflects on the media’s influence on racist attitudes

It’s a rare hot, sunny day in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Young delegates representing organizations from across the length and breadth of Europe are taking their seats ahead of the afternoon’s plenary session. This is the bi-annual United conference, an opportunity for European anti-racism activists to network and share strategies with which to combat the far right. This afternoon’s topic: “How does the media contribute to combating racist attitudes?”.

Everyone’s a little tired, but the first guest speaker immediately rouses us as he declares loudly, “The media is part of the problem, not the solution!” His passionate speech sits people up straight in their seats. Around the room people from countries ranging from France to Georgia start nodding in agreement.

The speaker, who preferred not to be identified, was fresh from campaigning against the far right British National Party (BNP) in the run up to the June 2009 European elections. Frustrated with what he termed “sloppy” reportage by mainstream media outlets he called for a return to forceful investigative journalism. Against which the far right’s assertions don’t hold up.

Take the recent BNP electoral pamphlet I recently had shoved through my letterbox. Photos of ‘genuine’ British workers complaining about job losses turned out to be American models posing as the real thing. Similarly, spitfire airplanes used in the same pamphlet to protest against immigrants coming from Eastern Europe in fact belonged to a Polish RAF squadron. These discrepancies were eventually picked up by the mainstream British media, but the actual research had been carried out by anti-racism activists like our speaker, and not by journalists.

I find myself joining the chorus of nodding heads. As an ethnic minority, a British-Armenian, I feel let down by the media in Britain. I often read pieces where journalists rather emptily use words such as ‘multiculturalism’ and ‘diversity’ as stand alone terms, failing to elaborate what they mean by them. The result being that whilst multiculturalism is celebrated, not enough time is spent explaining as to why it should be.

When the speaker emphatically declares, “We need to realize that we are on the defensive against the far right”, I find my mind racing. Personally I would like to see journalists proactively challenging racist opinions with solid, well-researched articles that provide balanced images of minorities. This would certainly attach more weight to the concept of multiculturalism.

Merely reporting facts isn’t enough. However, time and space restraints often dictate this to be the case. In such instances issues become simplified. For example there is an inadequate separation of issues such as immigration and job security. When in 2003, following Poland’s entry to the EU, thousands of Poles migrated to the United Kingdom it was reported as threatening British jobs, more often than not though Poles were filling areas of labour shortages.

When these issues are linked with commentaries on “Britishness” it’s a little hard as an ethnic minority to not feel as though what’s occurring is really veiled criticism of minorities in general. Journalists argue that what’s occurring is in fact a legitimate debate about immigration to Britain. But how can it be described as a ‘debate’ when those journalists conducting it are not representative of the communities themselves? There is a distinct lack of ethnic minority journalists commenting in the British print media.

As an ethnic minority reader it’s easy to feel a little bit ignored and unrepresented. What’s worse however is the tenuous connection made in some papers between immigration, job security and ‘Britishness’ – and it’s not difficult for the far right to play upon these links to its political advantage.

The speaker finishes up and receives a standing ovation. He looks humbled by the response.

In the proceeding comments one delegate suggests establishing media monitoring agencies. I don’t think regulation is a solution, its too open to criticisms of restricting free speech. Part of the problem is that media outlets lack accountability, so monitoring their impact is difficult. It’s equally difficult to know whether the media creates or reflects an issue. Can journalistic styles change, though? Balanced reporting should be the goal.

Delegates in a workshop at the United conference

We break for coffee. Conversations start amongst people from countries across Europe as they share their incredulity at the state of affairs in Britain. But it seems the British experience is far from unique.

A tap upon the microphone hurried us back to our seats. The next two speakers chart similar situations, but this time showing how sloppy reporting on ethnic minorities and their issues spiraled into violence in their countries. I sat there, in the stuffy warmth of a Sheffield conference hall, rather alarmed at the comparison I was able to draw between the initial stages of these last two speakers’ experiences of alienation and my own. But getting together to discuss these experiences and hear examples of what should and can be done to make a difference, left me hopeful and with plenty of food for thought.

African-Americans rally around their man

From T-shirts to bake sales, MRG’s Intern Marissa Burik on the importance of this election to US’s African American community.

The polls may be clear, but so are the nerves. Even in a London flat filled with 11 American students (mostly of the Democratic persuasion) the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. We come from diverse backgrounds and an eclectic mix of geographies. The New Yorkers amongst us are incredibly sure of an Obama victory, while the lone Southern Republican is holding out hope for a McCain victory.

As for me….as a pessimist, I refuse to make predictions…but the election of Obama would be very important for the US’s minorities; he would not just be the first African American president but the first US president from any ethnic minority.

Of course, an Obama victory would mark a significant shift in how the US engages with the world. And that does not just include how Obama looks. The policy differences and approaches run deep. As American journalist Nicholas Kristof put it last week, Obama could represent a “rebranding” of the US throughout the world. Or to put it differently, we would switch from having a ‘shoot first, questions later’ mentality to ‘talk first, shoot later’. But looks also matter. If Obama is elected, it will show the progressive nature of US politics. ‘Old’ Europe might like to write the US off as a nation of hillbillies, but when will there be a black presidential candidate in Germany, France or even at the top leadership of my current country of residence, Britain?

But turning back to the home front, not since Martin Luther King Jr. has a single African-American individual had such a broad impact on the entire American populace. Martin Luther King Jr. was able to make us think beyond black and white, and focus on the basic humanity that each and every person deserves. This message had the effect of energizing an otherwise marginalized community, and starting the civil rights movement in 1960s America.

If elected president, Barack Obama could have a similar effect on the African American community. Minority voters (along with the youth) are usually considered by political anoraks to be unreliable. But they have already been turning out in record numbers – at primaries, at rallies, and, yes, queuing to vote early. Whatever the outcome on November 4th, Obama has rewritten the election rule book and one lesson is this: US elections are no longer about old, white middle class people.

I know that in a pre-dominantly African American church in Chicago attended by a co-worker of mine, every Sunday, there is bake sale, selling cookies and home-made treats as well as awesome T-shirts with pictures of Barak Obama, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, alongside the ‘change’ message. Proceeds go to the campaign. It’s just one example of the African American grassroots effort across the US. Although the Obama campaign has been good at pulling in the big donors, they have also capitalised on a new market, of individual donors putting in small sums of money to support the candidate. And unlike the McCain campaign, Obama hasn’t had to hire people to go out and campaign for him….

Yet Obama’s engagement with his own community has been interesting. He’s been unafraid to deliver the messages that people need to hear, as well as the ones that people want to hear. For example, on Father’s Day, he delivered a speech in a predominantly African American Chicago church – his message was that all fathers – and African-American ones in particular – had a responsibility to be there for their children. He was blunt about it. If he gets elected, we should be seeing this as a moment to re-launch the civil rights movement. This one would not necessarily be race based. Instead, it would see many different people working towards equal opportunity. Obama is a perfect example of an individual who has benefited from the public system, and then made himself a success. He is the right person and this is the right time.

And then there is our second alternative, a McCain victory. I have less to say to say about this. The potential triumph of a septuagenarian with a 26 year history of working in the Washington establishment won’t change much in the perception of those who view the US from abroad. Electing John McCain would reinforce stereotypes of Americans as distrustful of change and yes, a little bit racist.

For the African American community, a McCain win would undoubtedly be seen as a setback. The status quo would prevail. The message would be that you can work very hard and get very close and still go home disappointed. That’s been the experience of many African-Americans, as well as other minorities and women. It’s not a positive message to send to any person regardless of their race, gender or creed.

So no predictions…just hope.