Armstrong Williams, Michael Reagan: Media Reinforce Black Stereotypes

The media are partially to blame for race relations in America because they reinforce racial stereotypes, radio talk show hosts Armstrong Williams and Michael Reagan said Wednesday on Newsmax TV.

Appearing on "Newsmax Prime," Reagan, who is white, said race relations are not as bad as people say.

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"I just had a conversation with a Democrat congressman here in Los Angeles and we were talking about the fact that when you turn on television, where do you see the black community uplifted?" he said. "You always see anger, you always see riots, you always see a black person being arrested."

To change the way race is viewed, people need to start finding positive stories to tell rather than looking only for ratings, he said.

Williams, who is black, agreed that the media reinforce stereotypes of what it means to be black.

"Unfortunately, many kids grow up today in households where their parents sometimes tells them they're unworthy, they call them very demeaning names and then they go out into the world and they hear these very things reinforced in communities but also by the media and this is eventually what they become," he said.

"That's why some people join gangs, because they cannot find the love of a father … and they want a sense of belonging with other men," Williams said.

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