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Every night tens of millions of
people across the country tune in to the local news to find out what's
happening in their communities. But our newly-released report — the
ColorOfChange News Accuracy Report Card — shows how local news stations in
New York City play a harmful role in shaping the narratives that exacerbate a
dangerous and hostile climate for Black communities.
Our partners at Media Matters for
America monitored hours of footage over a 20 week period from the four
largest New York City network outlets and came to a shocking conclusion: every
major network affiliate is disproportionately focusing their crime reporting
on Black suspects, and inaccurately exaggerating the proportion of Black
people involved in crime—on average, by 24 percentage points.1
Our new report is focused on NYC but make no mistake, similar practices are
taking place on television screens across the county.
For far too long the police have been
given a pass — and even at times praised — for over targeting, harassing and
brutalizing Black communities. New York for decades has been ground zero
in the movement against police violence and harassment, calling into question
the very legitimacy of the NYPD’s arrest rates.
Though many of our communities have
come to fear law enforcement, media has played a crucial role in
perpetuating the harmful narratives that shape the implicit or explicit
biases of their audiences. We then see this play out in discriminatory
hiring practices, biased treatment in courtrooms, and the kinds of brutal
treatment by police that took the lives of unarmed Black people like Eric
Garner, Michael Brown, and Akai Gurley. The result is that our communities
are being put in double jeopardy, first by over zealous police and then by
news stations serving as PR firms by proxy.
What's more, these stations are
simultaneously under-reporting crimes perpetrated by white suspects, which
only further cements the implicit biases of viewers.
These images also hurt Black youth by
contributing to a warped, inconsistent self-image. Research shows
repeated exposure to the kinds of negative, dehumanizing stereotypes
displayed on a nightly basis by local news stations are demoralizing and
reduce the self-esteem and self-expectations of our young people.2
Our ColorOfChange News Accuracy Report
Card examines the harm their crime coverage is doing to our communities. The
results are not pretty: While WNYW/FOX5 received a “B”, WNBC and WCBS each
received a “D”, denoting “Dangerous Coverage;” WABC got a big, fat “F”,
denoting reporting that is “Outright Hostile” towards Black people.
Currently we are in communication
with local stations as we seek to open up a candid dialogue with network
executives that will result in lasting systemic changes. Among those changes:
an end to the disproportionate targeting of Black people in crime
coverage, transparency regarding the diversity of newsroom staff, and a
greater systemic analysis and diversity of perspectives in their crime
reporting.
The impact of these practices extends
far beyond New York. As the largest media market in the world, local NYC news
has the power to influence a wide and populous audience — a metro area of
nearly 20 million people. Commitments on the part of these stations to better
reporting practices would not only impact a very large number of people, it
could also have a cascading impact on crime coverage at affiliates across the
country. We urge these stations to show leadership here, and usher in a
fairer, more accurate era in crime coverage nationwide.
ColorOfChange is ready and willing to
guide the stations toward a basic standard of decency, and away from the
inaccurate reporting practices that are harming Black folks. But the first step
is getting these stations to admit they have a reporting problem, and commit
themselves to correcting it.
Best regards,
Arisha, Rashad, Matt, Brandi, Dallas
and the rest of the ColorOfChange team.
References
1. “REPORT: New York City Television
Stations Continue Disproportionate Coverage Of Black Crime,” Media Matters
for America 03-23-15
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/4686?t=7&akid=4222.1963344.go4vpc
2. “Media Representations and Impact
on the Lives of Black Men and Boys,” The Opportunity Agenda
http://act.colorofchange.org/go/3685?t=9&akid=4222.1963344.go4vpc 
ColorOfChange is building a movement to
elevate the voices of Black folks and our allies, and win real social and
political change. Help keep our movement strong
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