There is a great article in Slate that discusses the phenomenon of how the New Orleans crisis seems to have victims that are 99% black yet no TV broadcaster will so much as mention the subject.
He writes:
"Race remains largely untouchable for TV because broadcasters sense that they can't make an error without destroying careers. That's a true pity. If the subject were a little less taboo, one of last night's anchors could have asked a reporter, 'Can you explain to our viewers, who by now have surely noticed, why 99 percent of the New Orleans evacuees we're seeing are African-American? I suppose our viewers have noticed, too, that the provocative looting footage we're airing and re-airing seems to depict mostly African-Americans.'"
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9.01.2005
Race and Class
There is a great article in Slate that discusses the phenomenon of how the New Orleans crisis seems to have victims that are 99% black yet no TV broadcaster will so much as mention the subject.
He writes:
"Race remains largely untouchable for TV because broadcasters sense that they can't make an error without destroying careers. That's a true pity. If the subject were a little less taboo, one of last night's anchors could have asked a reporter, 'Can you explain to our viewers, who by now have surely noticed, why 99 percent of the New Orleans evacuees we're seeing are African-American? I suppose our viewers have noticed, too, that the provocative looting footage we're airing and re-airing seems to depict mostly African-Americans.'"
