Reading Between the Lines: How News Coverage Can Mold our Perception of a story’s narrative

Reading Between the Lines: How News Coverage Can Mold our Perception of a Story’s Narrative

NATHALIA KOBROSKY

As we navigate our way through the murky waters of modern-day journalism, it seems that our role has switched from consumer to investigator. To what extent will we continue to find ourselves separating fiction from truth and how much of what we’ve read has already affected our perception of the world?


Public perception can be skewed by media bias. (collage created in Canva by Nathalia Kobrosky)
FROM THE STORIES THEY TELL TO THE MEANINGS WE MAKE FROM IT

From selective coverage to the choice of wording and imagery, we as a public often forget that media bias still exists and can urge us to think about a news story through a lens that may be vastly different from reality. As consumers of news, we rely on news outlets to provide us with accurate information that would allow us to make our own informed decisions and gain insightful perspectives about the world around us. However, with many organizations prioritizing viewer retainment and publicity over objectivity, being able to find a trustworthy news source has grown increasingly more challenging. With growing competition and dwindling attention spans, many news organizations have found the use of controversial stories and sensationalistic narratives an effective strategy for getting more clicks and viewers than a simple presentation of a truthful news story. 


Elizabeth Grieco [File: PEW study] & Michael Smith [File: YouGov]

As news coverage has become increasingly mediated by opinionated narratives instead of factual reports, the line between truthful information and opinionated narratives has become progressively invisible. Opinions of the reporters have commonly become part of the news story creating this deceptive narrative which in some cases is heavily influenced by the political alignment of an organization, favoring one side or another. Much like a court room, these type of news outlets have begun to make their audience feel pressured to pick a side, undermining their role as an objective and informative medium. Shaping the news for a target audience or because of pressure to fulfill a societal demand are some of the reasons that foster a biased narrative. It is in this context that many of us who consume news find ourselves swept up in a sea of questions, trying to make sense of what we have seen and heard. The question is, how much of what we see and hear is factual and how much is merely an opinion piece? 


Shamima Begum and George Floyd (collage created in Canva by Nathalia Kobrosky)

The word choices have intent and there are times when we are unconsciously deceived by biased narratives. The editorials have left the editor’s page and have found themselves splashed in front page headlines. In complex cases like Shamima Begum and the ongoing George Floyd protests, reading between the lines has become critical to understanding whether the information being publicized has another side to the story. 

SHAMIMA BEGUM: CONTROVERSY’S FAVORITE FACE

Shamima Begum (collage created in Canva by Nathalia Kobrosky)
[File: Laura Lean/AFP; The Sun; ANL Shutterstock; AP Photo/Metropolitan Police]

What we know about Shamima Begum is that she traveled to Syria from the United Kingdom in 2015 at the age of 15 years old fleeing to Syria to join and Islamic terror group formally known as ISIS. About four years later, in February 2019, Begum was found in staying in a Syrian refugee camp where she is still located today after being told her “British citizenship would be revoked.” The story of Shamima Begum drew global attention, and news organizations, particularly those in the UK, seized the opportunity to release a breaking story, many of which were accompanied by an array of narratives ranging from victim to villain. By claiming she could have been a “child victim of trafficking,” news stations such as Al Jazeera and the BBC attempted to strike a more sympathetic tone. This balanced coverage is also evident in the BBC documentary, “The Shamima Begum Story,” which offers a multitude of perspectives, including one from Shamima Begum herself. 

While Shamima Begum’s story is frequently framed from a perspective that emphasizes her youth and the grooming undertaken by her recruiters, others news organizations have made a more critical assessment of her image by focusing on her affiliation with ISIS. Sky News and Politico were among the many news organizations that branded Shamima Begum as a traitor to her own country, labeling her the ISIS bride further implicating her as a threat to the UK. As we read this array of narratives, it would appear that the media is conveying an “us against them” narrative to instill fear of Shamima Begum should she return to the UK. Shamima Begum’s portrayal in the media has heavily impacted public perception, sparking a debate over whether she should be seen as a victim, terrorist, or possibly somewhere in the middle. Though many of us would like to believe the media’s handling of Shamima Begum’s case is isolated and unique, it is not uncommon to find many stories treated in the same manner.  

PAINTING NARRATIVES OF BLM IN CONTRASTING SHADES

A group gathers in front of a mural commemorating George Floyd [File: C2C Journal]

If you know anything about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests that made its way around the world, then you know about the man who inspired it to become a global movement. Considering George Floyd was an unarmed black man, his murder by a Minneapolis police officer sparked a wide-spread protest prompting a call for action against systemic racism within the police force. Floyd was initially claimed to have died of medical distress, but many who watched the 9-minute video of Officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck believe he died of suffocation. Much like the debate surrounding who was responsible for Floyd’s death, we see a similar quarrel in the way the media has chosen to reflect on the protests that arose from it. 


A divided perception through a visual lens (collage created in Canva by Nathalia Kobrosky)

Despite powerful imagery and headlines being used by news organizations to convey the demonstration experience, it was their selective coverage that affected how viewers interpreted the demonstration. The emphasis on the protests being destructive and violent would often be highlighted in headlines such as Fox News “Riots that Gripped the US” or “Attacks on Law Enforcement” which found itself dominating the news featuring images of looting and burned down buildings. Media headlines and images of protestors retaliating against police often drowned out the protestors’ efforts to expose systemic injustice. Putting the spotlight on the extreme moments of the protests vastly altered the way the public perceived the demonstration, viewing protesters as violent and belligerent even if the public had initially expressed sympathy for their cause.  

While the protests received a negative tone in the media, some outlets, such as CBS, focused on the peaceful nature of the protests. In headlines such as ‘The Global Impact of George Floyd,‘ CBS included statements by protestors on why they supported such a movement. Ultimately, understanding the bigger picture beyond the attention-grabbing headlines and pictures will enable us to comprehend more than what the media often force feeds us, and we ravenously consume. 

DECIPHERING THE MOTIVES OF THE MEDIA

In this new era of news media coverage, the use of bias and sensationalism seems to have replaced credible reporting. Although we expect our news outlets would not publicize anything but the truth, we have come to find that misleading narratives continue to persist. It is not surprising that people start questioning the racial inequity of word choices. We see this power of words in cases like Shamina Begum and the protest that followed the murder of George Floyd.  

The use of sensationalistic terminology and imagery has not only shaped our perception of the individuals presented in the case but introduced the idea of race as conversation shifter. We start to formulate polarized opinions when we are bombarded with biased narratives. As a result, this can reinforce fear and hatred towards marginalized groups without valid reasoning, fostering racial tensions. Today the biggest challenge we must face isn’t how we go forward with what we read in the news but whether what we read has an alternate agenda. 

REFERENCES

nathalia kobrsoky

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