Every year, Saint Nicholas makes his entry accompanied by black-faced helpers: “Black Petes” or “Zwarte Pieten.” The public debate with regard to the black-faced helpers of Saint Nicholas has been discussed for decades, primarily in progressive urban circles, whereby the opponents state that, “Black Pete is a caricature of an African slave carried over from colonial times – he is usually portrayed by white people wearing blackface makeup, bold red lipstick and Afro wigs”. In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas is a very old tradition that is annually celebrated on the 5th of December. So, although individually their contribution may be of little significance, collectively they can make a big difference. Muslims were being portrayed as extremist, which caused a one-sided and biased stereotyping perspective and an overall negative framework. Early theories of media influence, commonly referred to as "magic bullet" or "hypodermic needle" theories, believed that the mass media had powerful effects over audiences. Tekeli believes that the real question rather is: “Who am I to accept someone else? In the last decade, the media has managed to educate and inform people about Islam and the Middle East, but it has also blurred the lines of religion and nationality, individuality and categories and created a narrow and repackaged image of Islam and Muslims. Films were originally silent, but in 1927 the first sound film was made, "The Jazz Singer." In this essay, I will further discuss the influence of mass media on society and the general public. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. His statements and vision about Islam, Muslims and Moroccans caused for further division in the multicultural society. Moreover, media that are funded by, for instance, the government, are less dependent on (although not immune to) these market mechanisms as well. Law that raised American Tariffs on many imported goods in order to protect factories and farms. The mass media was dominated by newspaper syndicates, consisting of papers in multiple cities owned by a single owner or organized under one corporation. Whereby, there should be awareness among journalists because they are the first guardians of society and they should criticize social issues and at the same time also be self-critical, but unfortunately, he argues, at the moment the latter is lacking in the Dutch media. The mushrooming of Occupy protests, the Arab Spring, the mobilization of resista… In this sense, the media regulate public debate. - Growth of movie theaters from 1910-1930 (5,000 to 22,500) - Expansion of newspapers and magazines Another way in which the media can shape public opinion is through the decisions that are made about what is published and what not. Today, it is the pictures of people standing in the middle of a crowd, captivated by what they are reading on their smartphone that best symbolizes the 21st century subject. Taken together, these media all add to the stigmatization of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. In the Dutch media practices, Muslims were constantly questioned and criticized, whereby the practice of wearing headscarves was considered as the oppression of women, which caused for a new wave of stereotyping and oversimplification in media whereby Islam was perceived as a misogynistic religion. The tradition of Saint Nicholas is often perceived as the core to Dutch national folklore. This goes to show that the mainstream media produces news and stories that are indeed polarizing and overly simplified to the public. Just by looking at themes of television programs about ethnic minorities, the common topics of discussion and debate include: refugees and asylum seekers, immigration, racism and the extreme right and the problems of multiculturalism in inner cities. Attention spirals can have a considerable affect on election results as well. Amsterdam: Askant. Such issues like immigration, crime and security and asylum seekers in the Netherlands were picked up by politicians in the Parliament’s second chamber, such as Pim Fortuyn, Ayaan Hirsi Ali and Geert Wilders. The advent of radio and movies in the 1920s was to help the emerging mass consumer culture which was part of the time period. The study showed that the majority of journalists are male, white and on average 42 years old, and have worked in the media for about 17 years (Ouaj, 1999). 05/15/2014 01:24 pm ET Updated Jul 15, 2014. 34, no.4: p.369-384, Mass Media: The Construction of Ethnic Stereotypes. Recognizing your own point of view, saying what you want to say how you want to say it, and understanding that your messages have an impact is key to effective communication. It is not that black and white. Your insights and passion greatly inspired us and influenced our thoughts on this issue. Stereotypes and misinformation has caused ethnic minorities to turn away from mainstream media and towards an “increasing use of transnational satellite and internet media for information”, A study by Mark Deuze and Annemarie van Lankveld conducted among journalists found that 2% of professionals have a non-Dutch background. A spiral of attention like this was also created in relation to the topic of Islam and migration. Muslims especially have turned towards global media to watch unfiltered breaking news in the Middle East such as the popular Arab news channel Al Jazeera. In reporting, the norms and values of society are mirrored and new norms and values are constructed. Through the unifying influence of fashion it directs and subjugates all aspects of human existence, from the style of dwelling and clothing to the type of hobby and from the choice of ideological orientation to the forms and rites of intimate relations. Pim Fortuyn was an anti-immigration populist politician in the Parliament’s second chamber who was outspoken about multiculturalism and the position of Muslims and Moroccans in society. Therefore he believes that there is a selective usage of wording in the Dutch media. Indeed, in the frames that are used to describe these groups, their Dutch nationality is often neglected, their ethnicity is emphasized and they are more often related to crime, dependency on social services, terrorism, unemployment and drugs than autochthonous Dutch people. The media still reports frequently about the developments around Black Pete, because it has such an important impact on the Dutch Saint Nicholas tradition, of which Black Pete seemingly is considered as an indispensable element. In a move to improve cultural diversity, the Dutch government felt that “a number of measures [are] justified that put minorities in a better position to aspire to emancipation.” (Bink, 1999) There are efforts to ensure that ethnic minorities are integral in the mass media, especially because these outlets of communication are a means to also assimilate minorities into society. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are the tipping point in the way Muslims were portrayed in the media. Socioeconomic factors are neglected, even though such factors are a much better predictor of negative behavior in societies. It was a turning point of the political landscape in the Netherland, in which populism took on the overhand and harshened language used by politicians with regard to Muslims and Islam. He answered that “Black Pete is Black and I cannot change that.” Also, the mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, offered carefully worded statements of support to Black Pete as a part of the old Saint Nicholas tradition, but he did say that the appearance of Black Pete eventually will change over several years from his current blackface. Looking through an equity lens is acknowledging differences and inequality, and it can help with identifying and removing barriers and accommodating differences. The media picked up this development in the political landscape, which led to an increase of reporters framing Moroccans or Islam primarily negatively, such that the linking of Moroccans youths with extremism and radicalization, whereby these youngsters were portrayed as a threat for the Dutch society. A gunman robbed and killed the guard and pay maker of a shoe factory in South Braintree, Massachusetts. The generalization and stigmatization of Muslims caused for social unrest and division in society, whereby Muslims were constantly confronted about cultural and religious aspects, which often were incorrectly interrelated and caused for even more confusion within the multicultural society. If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on … Only 2% of the 14,000 journalists in the Netherlands have a non-Western background (Shadid, 2009, 182). Indeed, writers have much influence on the way in which messages are put across, and how much value these messages are given. Invest in courageous young leaders that work towards an inclusive society. He used the political and social unrest with regard to Islam for his political agenda, in which Islam is perceived as a religion that has no enrichment for the Netherlands and that immigrants from Islamic countries should be banned. The oversimplification of Muslims in the media and no representation or development of inclusion in order to combat the negative stereotyping of Muslims is causing a distorted view of Muslims and Islam in the multicultural society and is still dominantly present in the Dutch media. The result of the use of these frames is that minorities are being stereotyped and stigmatized. The source that the majority of the general public uses to get their news and information from is considered mass media. Mass mediameans technology that is intended to reach a mass audience. Moslims in de media: de mythe van de registrerende journalistiek. We would like to express our gratitude for Cihan Tekeli, Marijn Lansberg, Thiëmo Heilbron and Zihni Özdil for allowing us to interview them. Heilbron believes that, in the Dutch media, youngsters from diverse backgrounds are primarily portrayed in a one-sided and negative framework and that he wants change. And this very decision of what is important and what not has a considerable impact on the way that the reader or viewer interprets and values the message. He finds this lacking, and if there is representation, mostly it is considered as one-sided or stereotyping. Under state-monopoly capitalism the mass media make culture a branch of the economy, transforming it into mass culture. The simplification of Islam and Muslims during the reporting of 9/11 and how most news media reports only focused on Muslims when it involves crime, security or their culture, caused for a one-sided, negative framework in the way that Muslims were portrayed. In 1983 both the “Minderhedennota” (Policy Document on Minorities) and the “Medianota” (Policy Document on the Media) focused on the disadvantaged position of minorities in the national mass media. Stereotypes and misinformation has caused ethnic minorities to turn away from mainstream media and towards an “increasing use of transnational satellite and internet media for information” (Bink, 1999). Taking a look at the media in the Netherlands, we see that ethnic minorities and Muslims are continuously represented by negative frames. We’ll take a look at how media affects our culture, in both its positive and negative aspects… “Whoever controls the media… Think about this for a second: whenever you want to hear your favorite song, watch your favorite show, or see the latest current events, where do you go? Hirsi Ali and Van Gogh collaborated in the making of the short film Submission (2004), in which the position of women in Islam was questioned and criticized. Cultural products that are both mass-produced and for mass audiences. How did the mass media help create common cultural experiences? And in addition to that, they regulate which topics people pay attention to. How can it be possible that a symbolic person such as Mandela – who changed history, and who has done so much to combat Apartheid in South Africa and had such an important role as an advocate for various social and human rights organizations – be linked to Black Pete? What sets it apart is its potential to influence the thinking of massive numbers of individuals. In October 2013, a United Nations adviser on minority rights described Black Pete as “a throwback to slavery.” Verene Shepherd, a Jamaican academic of the UN working group of experts on people of African descent, stated on Dutch television: “As a black person, I feel that if I were living in the Netherlands, I would object to it.” Shepherd’s reasoning caused for a reaction on Facebook from Black Pete’s defenders, who started the Facebook page “Pietitie” (Pete-ition) that stands for the continuation of Black Pete; an emphasis must be placed on the fact that this Facebook page has more than two million followers and therefore must be taken seriously. Not only is media influential in its dissemination of information – it is a powerful visual of who is included and who is not. Whereas, initially, there were only several politicians who wanted to pay more attention to this topic, it was the intensive coverage by the media that led to an increase in attention from the public. ERCOMER also found that the public discourse on racism and anti-racism are more likely to be discussed or associated in the context of politics and extremism. In the last decade, the media has managed to educate and inform people about Islam and the Middle East, but it has also blurred the lines of religion and nationality, individuality and categories and created a narrow and repackaged image of Islam and Muslims. One letter was a farewell poem and the other was a death threat directed to Ayaan Hirsi Ali – who at that time was a Dutch parliamentarian of Somali descent in the Parliament’s second chamber. Every person is unique, nobody is the same, and there are differences but also similarities. “Amsterdam to phase out black Santa Claus sidekick from winter festival” – See more at: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/14/netherlands-europe-news. It does not assume that there is equality among people. ), how widely spread the medium is (e.g. Shadid, W. (2009). Tekeli argues that in the media we don’t want fragmentation but integration. Vienna: European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC), “Fortuyn killed to protect ‘Muslims’” – See more at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/netherlands/1425944/Fortuyn-killed-to-protect-Muslims.html, “German court says Dutch treatment of asylum seekers is inhumane” – See more at: http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/05/german_court_says_dutch_treatm.php#sthash.c7vLGI4S.dpuf. When you say allochthonous, you think about certain people from non-western background, and most of the time it has a negative framework.” Furthermore, the term allochthonous is mostly related with crime, whereby identity is related to a certain ethnic background. The linking of Islam with terrorism “(..) complicated the legitimacy of symbolic representation of Muslim identity in the public spheres in Western society” (Byng, 2010, 10). This is what it means for societies “to exist in transmission, in communication.” Different types of communication influence each other. Naturally, not all media influence public opinion in an equal way. Media can help to create awareness among the people faster than any other thing. In the EU Member States, 1995-2000. In fact, mass media can have a great impact on peoples’ lifestyles and culture. Tekeli finds it astonishing that the term autochthonous is almost never mentioned in the media and states that it can be questioned why there is such a focus on the term allochthonous and not on the term autochthonous.