Recently I stumbled across an old article written by Dr Pita R Sharples on the scoop website that caught my attention. The article refers to how mainstream media and Maori television have different views, particularly when it comes to Maori. The topic in question was the flying of the tino rangatiratanga flag at the Alinghi Base. Sharples stated that this was a proud moment for Maori everywhere as it represented Maori at a high level. However this was not the case when the story was covered on mainstream news, instead it was reported that the flag was only a mere scare tactic as it is a very competitive sport. It is very disappointing to see that this is clearly a case of one story but two very different outcomes.
In order for New Zealanders to make their own opinion, they must watch both shows like Te Karere as well as the mainstream news at six. Otherwise, they will only be getting one side of the story, making it biased. This could be a major problem because mainstream news is hegemonic. Meaning that all news is chosen in way that supports society norm at that point in time. This supports the majority’s views and attitudes. This is not so great for Maori as Sharples stated in his article that a study in 2004 had shown that Maori stories depicted in the media tend to be more 'bad' than 'good'.
Personally, I think this is wrong, only because we should be a nation that tries to work together instead of becoming divided in every possible way. Maori should not have to worry about how the story is going to come across in mainstream news because the stories shown by the media should be the same. It annoys me to think that something as significant as the flying the tino rangatiratanga flag can be put down to merely being a game plan to win. Why is it so hard to show Maori in a good light in the mainstream news?
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Two Sides of the Story
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Excellent point!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it so hard to show Maori in a good light in the mainstream news?
Could it be that mainstream continue to depict maori as the trouble making radical, or as the violent abuser or even the dole bludging non-worker? All of these are examples of what not only the mainstream media think of Maori but what the hegemonic culture of society think of Maori. How we can resolve this is the main concern.
Mainstream media as you already pointed out, only portray messages that are considered to be normal to the hegemonic culture or society. Therefore it is considered that they have a huge impact on what society considers to be normal or to be correct.
Maori television has alleviated this concern by some degree. Their televised programme of ANZAC is an excellent example of this. It showed a time where Maori and Pakeha came together as one to fight in a battle for our country. This depicts Maori in a positive light which gained a huge respect from not only Maori viewers but also viewers of other cultures.
I see Maori television as the tool to provide information to the general public about the positive things that Maori have achieved. With the growth in the amount of viewers to Maori television, this may one day override what current mainstream media create. Maybe Maori television could one day become "the" hegemonic media, wouldn't that be a revolution!
Education is the key!! Through educating our younger viewers, this will develop a future society of unity. Media is one tool to educating and Maori television is definitely on their way to succeeding this.
The original blog is a good one. What would have made it better is more discussion such as that in the comment above.
ReplyDeleteYeah good point.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that education is key because otherwise people cannot make their own decisions that are not biased with mainstream media. Another point I would like to add to your discussion around the question, why it is so hard to show Maori in a positive light in mainstream media, could be the whole idea around ‘us’ and ‘them’.
Since colonisation, there has been a division between Maori and non-Maori, which has translated into mainstream media as ‘us’ and ‘them’. This division could be responsible for stories around Maori being shown in a bad light because it reminds society about the division that is there. So I would argue that mainstream media is a tool used as a reminder of colonisation.
This can be contrasted with Maori television that acts as a tool for de-colonisation and moves away from Maori being shown in a negative light into a positive one. It promotes the language and the survival of Maori culture ensuring that Maori are not lost into the western world. Allowing both sides of a story being told, all that is needed is viewers wanting to be educated.
So, even though Maori may not be shown in a positive way in mainstream media at least there are now alternatives. This means that society no longer has to watch one view but they now have the option to choose. The next step is to get more and more viewers to choose the alternative.