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Media and the Criminal Justice
Media and the Criminal Justice System
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Media and The Criminal Justice System
In the modern age of advanced technology, information is fast and readily made available to consumers. Consequentially, the media is significantly involved in ways that have helped to reach and provide information to their consumers through gadgets such as television, social media platforms, and radios. The mainstream media and social media have had a crucial impact on the criminal justice system by spreading information to the public, which has led to massive changes in the area.
Mainstream media, which includes broadcast media and newspapers, are a popular source of information among people. People rely on them for news coverage, provision of information, education, and articulating their grievances. The mainstream media has a significant influence on the criminal justice system. One of the main impacts of mainstream media on criminal justice systems is that it highlights its weaknesses to improve it. Historically, mainstream media has put pressure on the government and other stakeholders to create an equitable criminal justice system. One of the most successful roles that the mainstream media played in influencing the criminal justice system was during the Civil Rights Movement. During the time, the mainstream media highlighted the plight of Blacks in America. The mainstream media covered stories of deep-rooted racism in American society, which included policy brutality and high incarceration rates among African Americans (Schultz, 2019). The stories covered by the mainstream media led to the improvement of Blacks and People of Color’s lives in the United States through the introduction of better policies. The policy changes introduced in criminal justice during the Civil Rights Movement era were a testament to the role mainstream media plays in creating an equitable society.
In recent years, social media has emerged as a popular and choice among people for news, entertainment, and information. In recent years, it has played an important role in putting pressure on the criminal justice system with a view of creating change. Popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook are now crucial ways of sensitizing, informing, and mobilizing people. In 2020, social media has been significantly used to mobilize people against policy brutality and bring change to the department of the criminal justice system. The recent killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, which was captured by a witness, was spread via social media to millions of people worldwide. The clip, which illustrated a common problem of police brutality, sparked widespread protests in the United States, which have led to significant changes in police departments across the United States. The pressure created by the protests has put the criminal justice system in a spotlight and contributed to various defunding efforts (Rubinstein and Mays, 2020).
The morning news had a few news stories on the criminal justice system. The criminal justice system news was fairly written and investigated. The journalists were fair and did not seem to portray any particular bias. I noticed that most of the criminal justice systems involved police brutality issues, which have been the main component of news stories in 2020.
Reference
Rubinstein, D., & Mays, J. (2020, June 30) Nealy $1billion is shifted from police in budget that pleases no one. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/30/nyregion/nypd-budget.htmlSchultz J. (2019). Media coverage of law enforcement and effects of the image created. Dominican Scholar, https://scholar.dominican.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1150&context=senior-theses
Media and Gender-inequality
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Media and Gender-inequality
The need for equality across people with different genders is a topic that continues to be discussed since its inadequacies are witnessed not only in the occupation sector but also in the political area. Unfortunately, one pervasive medium of information, the Television shows, and movies have only increased the issue farther. According to a study by Dr. Lauzen, after studying the characters both on-screen and behind the screens programs, only 5% of them had an equal number of female and male characters. Also, while it may seem that the female characters in the broadcasting network are increasing the data suggests otherwise since the number of the female between 2015-2016 was one percent less to that of 2006-2007. However, the underrepresented female characters are not the only depiction of gender inequality but also their characterizations in the shows and movies. Female characters are depicted as leaders in fewer instances than the male characters, and they are also shown in fewer cases as working and more than the male characters.
Additionally, they are referred by their marital status. In regards to women being employed to work on the positions, behind-the-scenes have stalled in the past decade with only a one percent increase being witnessed. With the reference that those who are on the behind-scenes affect those on the on-screen, it is evident that programs with at least one female creator, the female speaking characters were 45% and females accounted for 32% where all producers were male. Also, programs with at least one female executive producers had 40% female characters, the more the creators and producers, the same was with the female characters (Berger). Nowadays, most people spend a maximum of 10 hours daily, and the depiction of women in adverts and shows shapes the perception of women where it depicts that whatever the value they will always be judged by their looks. Moreover, it illustrates that the ideal woman is whiter, which affects the perception of black women. Lastly, the only positive thing that is happening on the shows and movies it the diversification of people across all races.
Works Cited
Berger, Laura. “New TV Research Reveals Gender Inequality On-Screen And Off”. Womenandhollywood.Com, 2016, https://womenandhollywood.com/new-tv-research-reveals-gender-inequality-on-screen-and-off-146acc5ff99/. Accessed 3 Apr 2020.
Living Religions
Living Religions
Question 1
Christianity is a faith based on the existence, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus. He was born a Jew approximately two thousand years ago and was tried and crucified by the Roman government which said that his teachings and actions were blasphemous. The Bible has shaped the growth of Christianity because it is termed as the Holy book and through it, God communicates to Christians. During the Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down and filled the Christians who believed, they were distinguished from non-Christians because there was a visible fire their door. These were the Christians who then moved from Egypt to Israel which was the land God had promised them. Another historic event that led to spread of Christianity was the filling of disciples with the Holy Ghost after the resurrection of Jesus. This was a promise made by god and after its fulfilment, more people believed in Christianity and the teachings of Jesus. Christianity promises the acceptance by God despite of ones sins and this is evident according to Abraham who was favoured by God for his great faith despite his sins.
Question 2
Following the demise of Prophet Mohammed, issues of succession led to the division Muslims into two sects; Sunni and Shiite Muslims. The Sunnis regarded the caliph as the administrator of the Islam special Islam laws and therefore, he would have been the right person to succeed Prophet Mohammed. The Shari’ah laws were written according to the Qur’an and could be applied to real life situations. The Shari’ah law is interpreted to each age group by the Imam who is said to have the closest divine understanding for the laws.
Question 3
Belief and witness also known as the shahada is the first pillar of Islam that requires one to proclaim that Allah is the only true God and Mohammed was his prophet. It is a requirement according to the Qur’an for Muslims to tell others about Islam so that they can make a decision about their faith.
The second pillar of Islam is the daily prayer that is performed five times a day while facing Mecca. An imam may be present during the prayers, but is not required to come between the Muslim when praying to Allah. Before the prayers, a ritual is done using water and in some cases sand so as to purify the body. A number of prayers together with some verses of the Qur’an are recited while kneeling and bowing. The facing of Mecca by all Muslims acts as a unifying factor for all Muslims around the world not considering their social standing. In the mosque, men and women pray independently with men in front of the women to avoid sexual distraction by the women. Prayer strengths one’s belief when repeated a number of times and it is also said to purify the heart and that is the reason it is done five times a day.
The third pillar is “zakat” also known as spiritual almsgiving. Muslims are required to donate at least two percent of their accumulated wealth at the end of the year to Muslims who are less fortunate. The intention is too prevent personal greed while attempting to make all Muslim financially equal. This pillar literally means purifying wealth that is distributed among other Muslims keeping the money in a healthy circulation.
Fasting is the fourth pillar of Islam and is obligatory to all Muslims during the holy month of Ramadan which celebrate the disclosure of the Qur’an to Prophet Mohammed. However, Muslims are required to fast on a regular basis during other months other than the month of Ramadan but it is not obligatory. All those Muslims that of recommended age, healthy, not menstruating or nursing a new-born baby are required to refrain from food, drink, smoking and sexual intercourse from dawn till dusk for the month of Ramadan. It is said that fasting burns up all impurities in the bodies purifying the soul so as to improve their relationship with Allah.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam also known as paying pilgrimage to Mecca. All Muslims with the ability of visiting Mecca to pay their pilgrimage are required to do so at least once. If a Muslim can afford to sponsor another Muslim who is incapable of going due to finances, then it is a requirement for them to do so. However, this pillar is not mandatory because not all have the financial capabilities to travel to Mecca. This is meant to collectively bring Muslims from all round the world. A series of rituals are performed and it is a requirement for all the male pilgrims to wrap themselves with a similar cloth so as to symbolise that they are all equal.
Of all the discussed pillars of Islam, shahada is the easiest to fulfil because it only requires a Muslim to proclaim their faith to others telling them about Allah and his prophet Mohammed. All Muslims would be capable of fulfilling this pillar regardless of their health or social status. Fasting is termed by many Muslims as the hardest to fulfil because it requires one to be disciplined to ensure that all the guidelines provided for fasting are followed. It is also the hardest because it is obligatory and if one does not observe fasting due to valid reasons, then they are required to do so at a later date.
Jihad according to Prophet Mohammed is the constant battle within self in the effort to distinguish between right and wrong. It is an inward fight in the heart that is externally expressed to bring out harmony within the community so as to protect the teachings of Islam and its faith. It states in the Qur’an that jihad should not be used for personal benefits. However, the Qur’an allows one to engage in war if they have been wronged or captured unlawfully and their rights infringed. This statement has led to the different perceptions of jihad in textbooks. A misunderstanding of the Qur’an has led many to engage in constant battles and terrorism acts claiming that they are only protecting the interests of other Muslims.