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How Do Mainstream Media Portray Roma People?

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First of all, based on the information found during the research, it can be seen that mainstream media portray Roma people in France and Romania in a neutral or negative way, and rarely in positive way. Regardless of the news about Romani is positive of negative, there seems to be more coverage when specific circumstances occur, for instance, crime. As of 2010, both the mainstream as well as alternative media was focusing mainly on the expulsion of Roma from France by former France’s president Sarkozy. This has even gone outside the France’s national media into international media sites such as The New York Times, BBC, CNN, etc. The expulsion against Roma communities by the French government have caught a lot of attention by the media and sparked a discussion within France. A poll carried out by Pew Research Centre (2014) shows that 66% of the French inhabitants have an unfavourable view towards Roma. The assumption of the public that Roma people are unemployed and do …show more content…

For news sites the deportation issue can be seen as good and in a way shocking story as European Union has been putting more pressure on the Roma people within the member states due to migration concerns (Migration policy, 2010, par. 2). Furthermore, the articles in news portals are often based on the society’s general and negative perception of Roma; therefore resulting in articles that are negative and sometimes even discriminatory and offensive towards Roma people all around the world, including in Romania and France. It can be said that media are a powerful tool to mirror the society’s view as well as influence it. According to the book Public Memory, Public Media and the Politics of Justice written by Philip Lee (2012), “there was a prevalent anti-Gypsyism that

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