Denial of racism is racist : Colorblindness is Racismblindness White parents who tell their kids that race doesn't matter are ignoring the long shadow of racism James M. Thomas, University <



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'Once You Name the Pattern, It's Tough to Unsee It': Janai Norman Says White Supremacy Often Hides Behind 'Objective Reporting' in the News Gee NY 22 hours ago Former network journalist and author Janai Norman is urging news consumers to look beyond headlines and question how stories are framed, asserting that bias in the media in America often operates in subtle ways that can shape public perception without overtly racist language. <


Norman began by arguing that "white supremacy in news doesn't sound like a slur. It often sounds like objective reporting." She then outlined what she described as three common ways racial bias can appear in news coverage. The first, she said, is language that positions whiteness as the default. According to Norman, phrases such as "white people and people of color" can unintentionally center white identity as the norm while making everyone else appear as the exception. "So white becomes neutral and stories about white people become just the news," she said. "But when it's someone not white, how quickly does race come into the picture?" She encouraged audiences to question whether race would be mentioned in a head- line if the people involved were white.


Norman also criticized what she described as the tendency to treat Black communities as a single, uniform group. She argued that news coverage often overlooks those distinctions, whereas white communities are more frequently portrayed with greater cultural, geographic and historical nu-ance. Her third point focused on how crime victims and suspects are portrayed. Norman cited research that she said shows differences in how people are humanized depending on race. She argued that when white individuals commit violent acts, reporting often emphasizes factors such as their upbringing, mental health struggles or future potential. By contrast, she said, Black and Brown victims are more likely to have their criminal histories, substance use or other personal details highlighted in ways https://l.smartnews.com/p-8fiDgz7P/gGdiMP