MDA | Race Reporting Handbook
Case Study
The image above is the work of Alexandra Bell, an interdisciplinary
artist and journalist who works to disrupt the racist messaging that
comes as a result of misrepresenting stories with visuals.
In 2016, an American news outlet wrote
a piece about an American swim team
titled ‘Accused of Fabricating Robbery,
Swimmers Fuel Tension in Brazil’. The
accompanying image was Usain Bolt, a
Jamaican sprinter.
However, the image of Bolt was actually in
relation to a story in another section about
winning an Olympic medal. Placing Bolt’s
photo underneath the headline about the
accused fabricated robbery, however,
might mislead readers to conflate Bolt’s
Olympic Victory with involvement in the
controversy.
In the piece above, Bell’s art highlights the
editorial decisions made in the original
| CHAPTER 04
article that may reinforce racist narratives.
On the right, Bell replaces the image
and edits the headline to highlight the
misleading content in the original.
INCLUSION IN
NEWSROOMS AND
CONTENT TEAMS
It is imperative for newsrooms and
content teams to mirror the country's
diversity. With half of Australia's
population being first or secondgeneration migrants, representative
newsrooms are key to fostering inclusive
storytelling and ensuring the longevity of
media organisations.
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