Media. We're over-saturated. It's easy. We carry it in our pocket. We're “über” connected. But, that saturation comes at a cost. We must consume it and then digest it, deciding whether we are being told the whole truth, half-truths or flat out lies. It’s become increasingly important to critique your sources, and compare several before making your own judgment call. Doesn't matter if it's a blog or a major news outlet.
And, there’s a reasons for that. Everyone has an angle. In large news outlets the producer sets that agenda, molding its culture and voice. Does it lean politically left? Or, does it lean right? Does it sensationalize, or give the facts and nothing more? I'm sure we can all agree that CNN and Fox News have different voices, and different audiences.
Taking this into consideration, it’s easy to see how a story can be warped, by getting only a single view. The Brownsville Rape Case exemplifies this. We're going to compare the Amsterdam News and the New York Post. The Amsterdam News is the oldest black-owned newspaper in the country. The New York Post is a sensationalist paper with catchy headlines, and tends to lean to the right politically. I chose these two, because of the large contrast.
This past January, a group of teenage boys were accused of raping a girl at gunpoint. The boys were said to have walked up on the father and daughter in a park. Allegedly, they then told the father to leave at gunpoint, and then took turns raping her. Five black boys were arrested.
First, let's look at the titles they chose. The title sets the stage for the story.
The Amsterdam News (AN) wrote, “4 Teens Arrested in Gang Rape of 18-year-old in Brooklyn.”
While the NYP post wrote, “Teen Suspects Arrested in Brutal Gang Rape at Brooklyn Park.” NYP added brutal. A colorful word that brings to mind unapologetic anger or rage.
This how the AN describes the teenagers and the summary of the event: “One of the men pulled a gun on the father and daughter and demanded the father leave the area, police said. Each of the five assailants then raped the teenager, authorities said.”
The NYP wrote, “Four of the five teens suspected in the horrific rape….” and, “He ran for help and eventually flagged down a patrol car, but the deviants had fled the scene.”
The difference? Word choice. AN uses assailant and NYP uses deviant. Assailant denotes an attacker, someone who assaulted. Whereas a deviant connotes someone who doesn’t follow usual or accepted standards, a criminal or someone mischievous, socially or sexually. Do you think the readers will paint different pictures in their minds?
The follow-up and final articles, which spoke of the clearance of the teens charges, for both the AN and the NYP told very similar stories, but, they used different quotes from the Brooklyn DA’s office.
The Amsterdam News said, “'There’s a moral aspect embedded in all of our actions, and while not criminal, the conduct engaged in by this young woman’s father and these five young men was simply wrong,' Charisma L. Troiano, press secretary for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, told the AmNews."
The NYP quoted, “'That night, this young woman’s father and the five young men engaged in conduct that was reprehensible and wrong, but because of the lack of reliable evidence, criminal charges simply cannot be sustained,' DA Ken Thompson said in a statement.”
The difference is subtle, but makes a difference when getting a characterization of the boys. The AN quote makes the incident seem morally wrong, but that the boys aren’t criminals. The NYP leaves you feeling that the deeds were wrong and the boys are criminals, but the DA couldn’t get enough to charge them. The latter assumes guilty until proven innocent.
But, it doesn't stop there. The rotten cherry on top is the pictures posted with the stories, while telling their audience the charges against the boys had been dropped. This is the picture that the Amsterdam News chose:
The New York Post chose to use this picture, the picture from the night of their arrest, even though the article is about the clearance of their criminal charges:
White America has often painted black and brown people as violent, as savages, or thugs. This comes through in the New York Post's version of the story. Both articles are telling the truth. Those events transpired. But, the NYP deliberately chose words and pictures that paints these blacks in a stereotypical light. It's a continued push of anti-black in a place where many white people don't expect it. In their news. News is assumed to be 100 percent true. I think we all can agree on individual slants, but it's not until you pick it apart word-by-word that it all comes through.
If all you eat is burgers and fries, you'll eventually become fat. If all you read is New York Times, you'll eventually become a moderate liberal. If all you watch is Fox News, you'll eventually come to dislike or hate black and brown people.
Remember, you are what you eat.
Sources:
Arinde, Nayabe. "'Brownsville Five' Case: The Aftermath." A. Am, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Colena, Larry, Kenneth Garger, and Joe Tocapino. "Teen Suspects Arrested in Brutal Gang Rape at Brooklyn Park." New York Post. New York Post, 11 Jan. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Saul, Emily. "No Charges in Brooklyn ‘gang Rape,’ DA Says Woman Had Sex with Dad." New York Post. New York Post, 24 Feb. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
Yan, Holly. "4 Teens Arrested in Gang Rape of 18-year-old in Brooklyn Playground." Amsterdam News. Amsterdam News, 11 Jan. 2016. Web. 09 Mar. 2016.
