The Responsibility of Media in Reporting on Minority Ethnic Groups or Indigenous Citizens

Ethnicity, on the other hand, refers to the shared perspectives, cultural practices and other distinctions that set one group of people in the society from others. Among the most significant distinguishing characteristics of the various ethnicities are language, religion, forms of dress, sense of history and ancestry. Aboriginal citizens of a given country are basically citizens who have always been part of the country in question. These people may differ in race, religion or culture but are all considered as minority. Bromley and Sonnenberg (1998) cite the Aborigines in Australia and the black community in America as examples of indigenous or aboriginal people. This has been observed to result in stereotypes, prejudices and acts of discrimination against the ethnic minorities associated with the crimes which in turns affects the quality of their lives.

An illustration of this would be the media coverage of the 9/11 incident. The attack of September 11, 2011 was linked to Al-Qaeda, an extremist Islamic group. Four American airplanes were hijacked and close to 3000 people killed. It was projected that the attack by the extremist group might have been an act of reiteration due to the military presence of the US in the Middle East as well as its involvement in the Persian Gulf War. This is because they largely reported the incident as an attack by Muslims. The media stereotyped Muslim men with beards and in turbans as terrorists. It also covered very little on the attacks that were made on innocent Muslims following the attack choosing to focus on the protests by Muslims for the abuse instead, which further sparked the war against them by Americans.

Here, the media failed in its role of promoting peace and justice for all regardless of national or religious origin. Looking at the attack from a different perspective brings into play the reality of utilitarianism. They were arrested unlawfully and most of them died while in police custody (Harper, 2005). The concept of utilitarianism also came into play in this situation because as a result of the negative media coverage of the Aboriginals, the Australian government put into place multiculturalism policies and consequently the image of the public towards the aboriginals eventually improved. It then became easier for aboriginals to live and prosper in Australia (Garkawe, 1995). The media is more often than not portrayed in negative light as pertains to their manner of portrayal of minority groups and the effects that it has on the attitudes and treatment that these minorities are accorded in the societies they live in.

However, the media also plays a significant role in bringing to the attention of the public and leadership the plight of these people and this is important as it has often resulted in measures being taken both by government and non-governmental entities to ease the suffering of the minorities. Psychological disorders and emotional distress were also cited as common among the alcoholics, a phenomenon that often resulted in high suicide rates in the society (Gracey & Kingy, 2009). The input of the media in the Tanzanian case of ethnic minorities is yet another illustration of how responsible media coverage helps in finding solution to existing societal problems. Tanzania is a largely diverse country with about 120 tribes. However, some ethnic minorities such as the Hadzabe and Tatoga are continually declining in numbers and are facing the threat of extinction in the near future.

Failure by the government to address the problems being faced by these communities was noted by civil societies interested in the welfare of endangered communities, a situation that resulted in strife between the government and the civil societies (Campbell, 2004. Also, the preservation of this media freedom may be sought through such legal protections as the constitution. The 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations further confirms this freedom of the press. It states that: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference, and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers” (United Nations, 1942). Even with this freedom, the media is expected to observe the highest professional and ethical standards while dispensing its duties.