Few entities possess the same degree of public influence as the American media. Its ever-present touchpoints allow it to shape the minds of individuals in a manner unrivaled by any other means of communication. That being said, it has become evident that news platforms today are taking advantage of this power and skewing content in a way that shapes convenient, profit-driven storylines rather than cold, hard facts. In turn, a major divide has emerged within our nation stemming beyond the realm of politics.

One example of this can be observed with the Black Lives Matter movement, whose website makes references to advocating for black individuals who have been unfairly targeted and persecuted by law enforcement. The movement began in 2012 after the Trayvon Martin shooting and subsequent acquittal of George Zimmerman. After this point, any time a white law enforcer was responsible for the injury/death of a black suspect, the media made sure to broadcast it heavily, oftentimes suggesting race as a motive. Surely the suspect wasn’t shot because he was resisting arrest—it had to be because he was black. Several networks became notorious for painting cops as villains, and young, black males as victims. Statistically speaking, however, evidence is overwhelming that blacks kill other blacks far more often than whites kill blacks. In addition, American law enforcement is responsible for the deaths of numerous more white individuals than minorities (see: http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-know-about-cops-killing-aaron-bandler). Watching the news, though, the non-inquisitive viewer would never know that this was the case. As a result of these narratives, a racial divide is more present now than in previous years, and drastic actions are being taken in retaliation (see Dallas/Baton Rouge). On both ends of the spectrum (black and cop), precious lives are wrongfully being lost, and while media coverage is necessary, it is important that the bias remains as minimal as possible. A change is definitely necessary, but the media needs to stay in its lane to allow for a calm, rational solution to be reached.

Overall, it is crucial that while taking in information from American news outlets, viewers are cognizant of the fact that not all content is strictly fact-driven and that stories can be skewed to draw in high ratings. In such a tumultuous time domestically and internationally, empathy is key, and news stories that lack it are nothing but detrimental to humanity as a whole.