Censorship by Any Other Name

  Here’s an exercise many will find eye-opening. Go to the WSB Channel 2 news video website .   Count the number of stories of Black men committing violent crimes. Now count the stories of Black men playing sports. Then look for any other portrayals of Black men. When you’re done with that, imagine yourself a typical white suburbanite watching this broadcast. What do you see? According to a study quoted in the Washington Post , “ If all you knew about black families was what national news outlets reported, you are likely to think African Americans are overwhelmingly poor, reliant on welfare, absentee fathers and criminals, despite what government data show . ” The study included a systematic content analysis of local news stories spanning 2015 and 2016. Based on results, WSB-TV, though a salient example, is no exception. The problem is that, while many of the anchors and on-the-scene reporters in front of the camera are highly competent Black journalists, the folks writ...

  Since Title IX’s inclusion in the federal Education Amendments of 1972 , participation in sports among school-age girls has increased from one in 27 to one in three. This has led to increased enrollment by women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and greater career opportunities . Media coverage, however, has not kept up. As any fan knows, ESPN is the powerhouse of sports coverage, yet a study by Purdue’s Cheryl Cooky found that Sports Center coverage of women’s athletics increased to a mere 5.4% of airtime in 2019 from 5% in 1989. Lack of coverage, in turn, has accompanied  lower pay for female athletes , compared to their male counterparts. This has happened despite a growing number of female role models in sports, which according to a BBC study helps in the development of women’s attitudes toward personal health. Fortunately, we have such brave souls as Megan Rapinoe and her teammates, who in a landmark decision, won an equal pay settlement in t...