Peer Reviewed Article
Coleman, Dr R. (2011, June 1) Color Blind: Race and the Ethical Reasoning of Blacks on Journalism Dilemmas. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 88, (p337-349)
Dr Renita Coleman brings a higher understanding of the media and communication to this article, being an established professor at the University of Austin, Texas. Dr Coleman’s article in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly on the portrayal of blacks in the media concludes that there is an undertone of racial stereotyping in modern day media. Her study tends to focus on American participants. She acclaims this underlying misrepresentation of blacks to their portrayal in pictures taken to accompany articles. She says that more often than not black women are the subject of pictures taken in conjunction with poverty and prostitution, which subsequently establishes a lack of tolerance. Her sentiments are mirrored by similar studies, including an article written by Afghan Journalist’s Committee authors D. Brooks and L. Hebert entitled Gender, Race and Media Representation. The authors also suggest that black women are questioned in the media and often neglected because of their colour. Furthermore, Dr Coleman goes to the extent of saying that because of their representation in the media, “blacks” are given “less quality ethical reasoning” by the audience when analysing the pictures. She says that a picture can be seen and an opinion made from that picture in less than a second, and the media is guilty of racial stereotyping, subsequently establishing an undertone of racism in American society.
Portrayal of the same story by three different media mediums.
Devine, M. (2012, May 24) These little girls need their dad, not more trauma. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved from: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/these-little-girls-need-their-dad-not-more-trauma/story-fn6b3v4f-1226365155282
In stark comparison to other news outlets, The Daily Telegraph’s Miranda Devine shifts the blame away from the apparent bad guy (being the supposed abusive Italian father) to the mother of the four daughters. Devine’s bi-line quotes the famous Russian linguist, Leo Tolstoy to establish the initial tone of the article. It reads,
“Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way, wrote Tolstoy, but every warring parent has an obligation not to ruin their children’s lives.”
Devine goes as far to say that the mother has no right to deprive the girl’s father his custody. The Telegraph also revealed that the younger of the four daughters had spoken with a psychologist, who said she only wants to go back to Italy. Devine also brings the issue of media coverage to light and how it has detrimentally affected the girls as well as making an underhand comment on how a poor father-daughter relationships can cause episodes of “risky behavior...such as promiscuity, binge drinking and drug taking.” Although this last comment was perhaps not needed, Devine’s use of hard legal facts to portray the mother as the bad guy is quite effective. Her agenda was clearly to show the children as the aggrieved party, concluding with a comment saying that it is in the children’s best interests that the father is part of their life, and how this is impossible if the mother “takes them half a world away.”
Thompson, T. Donaghey, K.(2012, May 16) Mum Pleads Case. The Courier Mail p.4-5
Tuck Thompson and Kathleen Donaghey are quite ruthless in their portrayal of the accused abusive father of the four Garrett sisters at the centre of an international custody battle. Thompson and Donaghey establish the father as the reason for the mother to take her children into hiding in Australia. Gathering admissions of abuse including the breaking of the eldest daughter’s finger, from all four of the sisters as well as publishing pictures of letters they wrote to their father, their agenda is clear. The authors have included quotes from the mother, daughters and even from Premier Newman (even if it is to say that the state government will not be involved), increasing the credibility of the article. Despite this, the two Courier Mail journalists do omit certain key angles of the story that would otherwise tarnish the tone that they have adequately achieved in the article. They omit statements from the party that represents the father in this. Choosing to only represent the aggrieved party is an effective way of swinging a story in a certain favor, however when it comes to an event such as this where there are clearly two defined sides, it is remiss of Donaghey and Thompson to have not included the father’s side. The author’s conclude the article with a comment about how the couple’s third child died as an infant. With the “anti-father” agenda of the article already full established, this final comment makes it look like the father was the cause of the infant’s death.
Kelly, J. (Reporter). (2012, May 22) ABC News Queensland, Queensland: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)
ABC reporter James Kelly’s report primarily establishes the legal mess that has arisen from the issue of who takes custody of the four Garrett daughters. Starting the report with footage from the girl’s own “Kids without Voices” Facebook page, establishing the motive of the report. Kelly then goes on to inform how “police swooped” on a Sunshine Coast house where they found the four girls forced into hiding by there mother. The report tends to focus on the legal side of the story, saying how the aunt of the girls “launched a last ditch” appeal to the High Court for the girls to stay in Australia. It is also established that the father was in fact awarded custody in the Family Court. The legal overtone is made clear with Kelly ending the report with a statement, “girls can stay in Australia while the legal wrangling takes place.” Contrary to other representations of this story, the ABC in this report said that the mother had brought her daughters to Australia for a holiday. Other outlets, such as the Courier Mail article above reported that they had “escaped to Australia.” As a general comment, there seems to be some ambiguity as to the truth of this point in this saga.
