Frames and perspectives

As I watched "the most amazing video on the internet" to open the class Monday night, I couldn't help thinking that our perspective--and that of journalists reporting a story--has a profound impact on our perception and reaction to the world. The stories coming out of Egypt fit perfectly into the frame of "struggle for democracy," a storyline loved by the national press. Coverage has generated a flurry of positive social media chatter and general support of the American people.

But take that same mass of exuberant Arabian men--nearly all of whom are Muslim--and move that protest to New York, Chicago or Dallas and the frame would very quickly change tone. And I don't think many Americans would be comfortable with it at all.

Yet, obviously, more than just the media has influenced our perception. In this case, we have to factor in our personal experiences in a post-9/11 world, from airport security to individual encounters with Middle Easterners. (My doctor, for example, is a Pakistani man whom I just adore...). All these elements shape our expectations and, in turn, color our reaction to the media.

This even extends to more mundane matters like sportscasts. In America--and especially in Texas--we've grown up with men on camera covering sporting events. That's just "the way it is" and fits our prevailing idea of what a game (especially football) should look and sound like. In many cases, this expectation trumps expertise: we get someone like Brett Musberger, who seems to know very little about the actual game, over someone like Hannah Storm or Erin Andrews, both of whom know their stuff.   

Which is not to say this won't change. ESPN currently employs 39 female anchors, reporters, analysts and on-air contributors--18% of their total on-air staff. Why? The audience is changing. 62% of women say they watch sports regularly or occasionally on TV, according to BIGresearch’s Simultaneous Media Survey (SIMM 10, July 07) of 15,439 consumers. And if media is driven by commercial/economic factors, broadcasters will air what viewers want to see.

And that includes stories like the Egyptian uprising. Americans love a revolution that reflects our own democratic roots...as long as it's half a world away. We'll tune in, and in the eyes of the media corporations, that's perhaps what counts the most.