The Guardian: PHI’s Pamela Mejia on How the Media Reinforces Racial Stereotypes when Covering Crimes

In the Guardian, Pamela Mejia with PHI’s Berkeley Media Studies Group discusses the prevalent media narrative on crime, which overrepresents Black and Brown people as suspects and perpetrators and reinforces harmful racial stereotypes. Mejia also discusses how White suspects and perpetrators are depicted more compassionately by the news media.

“Luigi Mangione, the 26-year-old who allegedly shot and killed the United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, has received an avalanche of media attention as people attempt to understand what may have driven him to commit such a violent crime.

Since Mangione’s arrest, news reports have attempted to piece together his supposed motivations, with some suggesting that a back injury – and his resulting inability to have intercourse – fueled his alleged resentment against the healthcare industry. Other reports have painted Mangione as a recluse who rejected his affluent upbringing, openly speculating on the “baffling journey” of a “star student”.

On social media, Mangione has received sympathy and, in some cases, has been celebrated for his suspected role in the murder. Meanwhile, a fundraiser for Mangione’s legal defense has collected nearly $150,000. Many have turned Mangione into a “martyr”, said Dr Joseph Richardson, a professor of African American studies, medical anthropology and epidemiology at the University of Maryland. But, he adds: “We clearly know had [Mangione] been a young Black man, the narrative would be different”.

The wall-to-wall coverage of Mangione has been interpreted as a result of Thompson’s status as a healthcare industry executive in a country where many people are frustrated about rising healthcare costs and lack of insurance coverage. But the acceptance of that explanation itself reflects a racist double standard. As Richardson sees it, the empathetic media coverage is a symptom of “white male privilege”.

Multiple studies have shown that white male perpetrators of gun violence, especially ones in high profile incidents such as mass shootings, are often depicted more compassionately by news outlets. According to one study, publications routinely speculate about white perpetrators’ mental health as a possible explanation for their actions, painting a complex picture of their motivations, whereas suspects of color are reduced to racial stereotypes.

Research has also shown that crime perpetrated by Black and brown people is overrepresented in news stories, whereas white people are more likely to be reported as people “addressing crime”, said Pamela Mejia, the director of research and the associate program director at Berkeley Media Studies Group.

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Originally published by The Guardian