There has always been an obsession with linking specific races and religions to crimes.
In recent years though rather than being challenged it is being encouraged.

Reputable websites and news organisations have found their traffic increases because far-right social media pages are more likely to share their story.

In recent years some newspaper and websites are flourishing due to this very reasoning. But none of this is intentional but we all know it is there. We all know why stories are posted and we all know how they are shared.

We have an increasingly toxic environment where these views and opinions are being shared both on newspaper websites and social media pages. This is having far reaching consequences and helping to sow further seeds of hate within people who gain their news ONLY from social media or via WhatsApp.

Let's explore how this is happening and other ways it is now acceptable to target minorities:

1. Saying a crime was committed because the perpetrator was a Muslim

This is the most common tactic used on Facebook pages because it is the easiest to post. The criminal act took place for no other reason…and I repeat this here…NO OTHER REASON because the person was of a specific religion.

There are thousands of examples of this and one of the most common is to use a picture or name of the perpetrator and highlight this above anything else. It does not matter that the crime may well have been committed a thousand times over by a white person – today, it matters that it was committed by a Muslim.

2. Encouraging racist comments

A story is only as good as the number of comments it garners on social media. If you are able to highlight the race and religion of a person then you will encourage those who do not like that religion to comment aggressively.

By doing do so one is inspired to post further derogatory comments under the guise that one is ‘speaking freely’ and living in a country where one can openly state what is on their mind.

To challenge this means that you are in some way stifling free debate. But when that debate begins to talk about a subject you yourself may not agree with then it becomes offensive.

3. Posting a story because of a dubious ethnic link

Post a story with almost no-existent link to a race and religion then you are more than likely to gain further traffic when this is shared on wider social media pages. Newspapers are sadly guilty of this and are unintentionally part of the wider problem with regards to hate across their news pages.

A post is of no interest unless a link, however weak can be established between the criminal act and an ethnic minority.

4. Suggesting the cultural and religious background of an individual is the reason they behave differently

Politicians and media personalities are the easiest targets here. If you can suggest someone like Sadiq Khan, for example, has made a decision based on the fact that he is Muslim then your followers are likely going to concentrate on that feature rather than anything else. Many media personalities are unable to shake off this ‘ethnic tag’ and will forever be Muslim first and foremost before anything else.

5. Encouraging a person from an ethnic background to say what is on YOUR mind

A tactic that was used way before the advent of the digital age but one which is more and more apparent. In recent years newspapers are only likely to quote those individuals and groups which share their pre-determined idea about what is acceptable. In doing so one helps to support your own understanding of what you think minorities should be like.

The best example of this is to find obscure non-entities to speak on issues they actually have very little knowledge of. To the reader this person is a qualified and respected individual. To others this person has very little credibility and is using race and religion to further their own career.

It is quite easy to be taken in when your comments are re-tweeted or shared on a national platform even if it is by people who clearly would not even invite you for dinner.

The rule here is: I would rather be praised by the established sources than by the very people on whose behalf I am meant to be speaking.

6. Glorifying the past 'glories of the British empire'

Sadly, many of our national newsrooms are stuck in a post-war era when Britain was a very different place and they wish to keep it there. The make-up of newsrooms is predominantly white and male and the narrative is one which harks back to a time when Britain was supposedly ‘great.’

These British values have been destroyed and this is blamed on the 3-4 million new arrivals (that make up a population of 70 million). It is their fault we are no longer ‘great’ and it is their fault your neighbourhoods are in disrepair.

It is their fault crime has gone up and it is their fault you are no longer safe.
By sharing the past glories of your nation you can tell your readers that things were far better then.

7. Ignoring any positive contribution any Muslim has done

The worst thing that can happen is for a Muslim to do something positive – in fact you can almost sense the frustration when this happens. Positive news about minorities and Muslims in particular is unlikely to be featured on your pages because to do so would mean you have been posting a false narrative all along. If by chance as a news site you do post anything positive you can be thankful that your readers will assume you only did it because it was a ‘token gesture.’ 

It is also important to question the intentions of those who have taken part in a charitable act or helped their local community. They did not do it because they are ‘good people’ but due to their need to gain exposure for themselves.
8. Suggesting a minority has gained wealth through dubious means

Subtle racism towards minorities has been a staple diet of the mainstream press for many decades. The idea is that if a minority has gained wealth, he or she has either done it through dubious means or does not deserve it.

Raheem Sterling pointed this very alarming level of bias against black footballers in his post late last year. Our readers are happy when a white person has made good but are unlikely to warrant the same level of praise on a person from a minority background. This feeds into our narrative that minorities should not make money in ‘our country’ and then flaunt it.
9. Posting a false story about a minority because that is what your followers want

On social media it does not really matter if the story is true. All that matters is that for several hours your followers can debate the actions of a specific race. By doing so we can garner comments and reactions to a story that we are not entirely aware is true but it will have had the desired effect.

An example of this most recently was Tommy Robinson who posted a story of the Syrian refugee and how the victim had been himself a bully. A story which later turned out to be false.

The mainstream press cannot escape this need to print claims without substantiating the claims. Our need to print, post or share on WhatsApp something that we want to believe is true is one of the overriding reasons behind the growth of false news or claims.

Sadly, far-right Facebook sites are the only one’s guilty of this and we ourselves are keen to share unsubstantiated religious news because it is something we sense others in our immediate groups want to read.
10. Building on the stereotype of Asian and black people

Minority communities have been unable to shake off stereotypes of their community for decades and in 2019 this is unlikely to change.

The printed press is guilty of perpetuating these stereotypes by encouraging features and stories that explore specific narratives. Religious extremism and cultural honour abuse are top of the pile.

Story-lines and plot lines in on-screen drama and film will continue to dictate how we are seen to the wider audience.

Here is the golden rule by which producers and editors are keen to stick to – it is not how we as minorities wish to be perceived; it is how a white, middle-class audience wants us to be perceived.