Alright – so, if you live in Minnesota or are from Somalia, then you know that we are constantly on the news in a negative light. Normally, I do not pay attention but lately the Minnesota Reformer and The Mpls Tribune have been writing about autism. Then it affects me and my kid. I started thinking about it and looking into why so many usually liberal media outlets write so much negative which then is picked up and carried even further by conservative media outlets.
Sahan Journal which was started by a Somali journalist with the intention of having a diverse reporters who bring the news of the BIPOC communities to light and tell our stories to mainstream. All good right. Not so fast. Sahan’s financial leverage took off after it started writing negative stories about the Somali community. All of the sudden, everyone and their mama’s wanted to donate. In autism therapy, we call that positive reinforcement which increases the behavior you want to solicit. In other words, the more Sahan wrote about the founder’s community in a negative light, the more donations came in. Yum Yum.
Then came Minnesota Reformer, another non-profit also started by a liberal but a white one this time. They promise to be centered and fair. That was a dream that did not last because fairness does not bring donations and readers. Then they started writing negative stories that racially profiled the Somali community. Then voila like magic, their visibility increases. You see the connection. Demonizing and defaming immigrant communities become cash-cow especially during election time since most folks are more interested in political news. Welcome to Minnesota – ladies and gentlemen where racial and islamophobia is well and alive.
These stories become catch phrases for politicians to preach to their core constituents which feeds itself off to even more reporting. Now the Tribune has joined in the ring and even hired the reported who started the negative articles in the Reformer – two peas in a pod, the yin to their yang. Does it get better than this.
While all of these are happening, the Somali business owners whose business have been screwed with decide to donate over $100k to the MN DFL House Caucus. You cannot even make this up. Let me make sure I understand this. The people who are being screwed with donate to the politicians who are screwing with them. What now? I am dizzy. This makes no sense to me. Instead, our community needed to hold the DFL party accountable who control all three government branches for years of dismissive and discriminatory tactics, but instead they reward them with over one hundred thousand dollars. I give up. What the heck?
To make matters worse, negative news stories create so much trauma for the BIPOC communities including the Somali community. I am sure these lovely fair and balanced news outlets will one day write about all the trauma our communities face without connecting how they are part of the problem. Lovely.
Blacks see themselves depicted negatively by the media, what? NO, come on.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/majority-of-black-americans-see-racist-or-negative-depictions-in-news-media-new-study-finds
Journalism’s racial reckonings: How funders and publishers confront systemic bias
The above words do not reflect any candidate, agency, or committee.
Idil – Somali Autism Mom & Retired Advocate