Images of Blacks in the News Media

[Commentary] Why do the people on the news find the worst looking inarticulate black person to put on television? It is a rather legitimate question. More often than I care to think about, news stations air stories that portray African Americans as little more than uneducated, ignorant buffoons to be mocked and studied as examples of human blight. Certainly, the answer to the above question was not a lecture topic in any of my undergrad journalism courses. So, I scramble to find an answer that makes sense, an answer that is worthy of the education and experience my degrees and resume (truthfully) say I have gained. The answer to the question above is obvious (racism), but simultaneously not so obvious (ratings).