This document discusses 5 examples of perceived racism in the media: 1. The media labeling NFL player Richard Sherman a "thug" despite his academic achievements, while excusing Justin Bieber's criminal behavior. 2. Commentators on Fox News and MSNBC using racially charged rhetoric in their criticism of liberals and conservatives. 3. Friends making racist jokes and comments to each other, though meant in jest, highlighting racial differences. 4. An ESPN analyst questioning a white running back's "appearance" as an NFL player despite his statistics, implying the position is traditionally for black players.

1. Keith Schemel
Professor Blanco
5 Signs Racism in the Media
1.Richard Sherman: The defensive back for the NFL team, the Seattle Seahawks, after being
interviewed about a big win in the NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers,
Sherman, a robust African-American with long dreadlocks, began to “explode” in his interview
pronouncing that he was “the best.” The media labeled him as a thug, despite being the
valedictorian of his high-school, as well as receiving an academic scholarship to Stanford where
he graduated with a 3.8 GPA, and had a master’s degree by the time he was 22.
2. Justin Bieber: After being arrested in Miami for a DUI, and drag racing, Justin Bieber, a
twenty year old white pop singer from Canada, underwent a trial by media in which he was
labeled a “troubled kid who just needs guidance,” and excuses were being made for his behavior.
In contrast, Bieber is more deserving of the thug title than Bieber.
3. FOX/MSNBC: Is there a need to explain these two news channel? After watching both, they
are just hate-spewing organizations, you have FOX bashing liberals in the most ridiculous ways
possible, and MSNBC bashing conservatives in equally ridiculous ways. Racism was clearly
evident in the rants of Al Sharpton and Bill O’Reilly. Sharpton blamed the white man for
constantly putting down the black man, while O’Reilly would just take the “Get over it” stance.
4. Friends: Having a group of diverse friends will always lead to comments such as “It’s
because you’re black,” or “you’re fast because you have practice running from cops,” amongst
other racist comments, even the occasional “cracker” and “honky” comments. However, when

2. we say these things around friends it is not meant to be taken to heart, however it clearly shows
differences between us.
5. ESPN: During workouts for NFL prospects, a few NFL analysts commented on a white
running back, traditionally a black man’s position. The running back had statistics similar to
those of the top running backs in the draft, however an analyst stated that, “he does not have the
appearance of an NFL ready running back.”