During our last session, we talked about the role of institutions in eliminating racism. We discussed that institutions need to be open to reexamining their role and purpose and reflect on their ability to nurture human potential. Today, we are going to consider our media system and its potential to both reinforce and challenge racism in America.

Media entities are crucial institutions of society, sharing information, ideas, and values that shape the way a population conceives of itself. By surveying the broad spectrum of news, entertainment, and social media discourse, we can learn much about ourselves. We might say media act as mirrors of our social reality.

But these mirrors can become distorted. In surveying representations of race in the media, we sometimes see funhouse mirrors that minimize or exaggerate various features of our social reality. Likewise, some mirrors reflect only a dim image of our reality. And some mirrors reflect clearly but narrowly. Thus, even when media strive to serve causes of justice and unity they can, like other institutions of society, embody structural racism.

American mainstream media has historically been culpable of reinforcing racist ideas and chronically overlooking the struggles for justice and equality of racialized groups. Moreover, the journalistic ethics that structure mainstream journalism often reflect the values, views, and interests of people with power and privilege, thereby reinforcing narrow ways of understanding reality.

Despite these chronic shortcomings, the media have also played a significant role challenging racism in America. From abolitionist periodicals, to public-service publications, to the plethora of media produced by diverse groups past and present, there are many examples of courageous and truth-seeking media that challenge systemic racism.

One means of challenging racism that is common to media and to people of faith is the power of narrative. Narratives, or stories, are a primal way human beings structure meaning and seek coherence in their lives. Narratives can convey truths, or falsehoods, in compelling ways. They can foster or erode empathy within and among communities. They simultaneously shape and reflect the ways we understand ourselves and our place in the world.

This is especially true for people of faith. Religious convictions often derive from scriptural narratives. These narratives inform our sense of history, our use of language, our identity, and our perceptions of reality. Media narratives can play similar roles. They don’t simply recount a series of facts. They impart meaning, emotion, and normative structure.

Narratives are powerful ways to either reinforce or transcend racism. Narratives shape our understanding not only of “the facts” but also of the meaning we ascribe to those facts and the emotions we attached to them. Media narratives matter.