Question

Using the 12th edition of Language Awareness, complete the following assignment:

After reading Akiba Solomon's "Thugs. Students. Rioters. Fans: Media's Subtle Racism in Unrest Coverage," in Language Awareness, answer the following questions:

1. For what reasons do you think Solomon compares descriptions of rioting in Baltimore to those at Penn State in particular? Why might she emphasize twice the sexual assaults involved in the Penn State case? Why do you think she emphasizes the "symbolic gesture" ascribed to the Penn State crowd in comparison to those in Baltimore? How does she suggest these responses are incongruous?

2. How does Solomon suggest race determines the language of media coverage? How does this disparity in media coverage reinforce her Aunt Kinyozi's favorite phrase: "Words are powerful"? What power do the words of the press have to shape the population?

3. What Ohio incidents does Solomon compare? Why are these incidents particularly unnerving? How does the use of language like "racial discrimination has particular resonance" contrast with a phrase such as "race riots"?

Answer 1

1.

The reason that Solomon compares description of rioting in Baltimore to Penn State is because there is stark difference in the type of image they pain in the mind of the readers. In the Baltimore case, terms such as ‘rioting’, ‘plunging’, etc. were used. On the other hand, in the Penn State case, it sounded as if a large number of students were expressing their disappointment.

The reason the sexual harassment was mentioned twice is because Joe Patreno stood by as boys were getting assaulted and when he was fired there was protest. This protest likely cannot be justified at this large scale.

She emphasizes symbolic gesture because the tone and the words used for Penn State, in spite of the damage done, seems to make it appear as comparatively harmless violence. However, damaging state university property and demonstrating publicly with large crowd cannot be considered that.

She suggests that the choice of words used for the articles are different and they tend to give a different types of tune and paint different kind of scenario to the readers. Such practices and choice of words eventually create a subconscious bias in our mind. This is why the responses are not incongruous.

2.

Solomon gave the example of Baltimore and Penn State incident. She pointed out that these authors and journalists use different type of words to speak about different groups of people. However, the selection of words is not an isolated incident. It happens on a regular basis. Media coverage often shapes our view of the world and the words used shapes our view on media coverage. Thus the words used are often very influential even without recognizing it directly. This is why Aunt Kinyozi said “Words are powerful”

Press and media has a responsibility report unbiased news and often the news that we read, see or hear are not. This is where the press sometimes is responsible for various atrocities and discrimination within our society.