"Good guys" vs "bad guys"

While getting ready for work this morning, I listened to Estonian Public Broadcasting's ethical counsellor Tarmu Tammerk discussing the ethics of mentioning nationality in news, especially in headlines - based on a recent article about a Gypsy man, a suspect for several crimes including murders.

Does nationality matter? Is it necessary to always emphasize where somebody comes from? Or perhaps it should be given as additional information and not highlighted in the headline? Here's an example: "Indian man kills pedestrian in road accident" or "A pedestrian was killed in a tragic road accident. The driver, who is from India, was driving a Kia".

It is mainly the case with negative news headlines (crimes, murders, terrorist attacks, car accidents, etc) where putting too much emphasis on individual's nationality can stir up hate and stereotyping towards the whole nation. What about the good news though? We also read about national hereos who have done something noteworthy. Don't mind mentioning the nationality there, do we?

Do you feel we live in an age of tolerance or are you also displeased with all the negative feedback we often get in forums and news comments? And all the stereotyping. Just trying to think which nations have been labeled the most.

Heaven is where the police are British, the cooks French, the mechanics German, the lovers Italian, and it is all organised by the Swiss.

Hell is where the police are German, the cooks British, the mechanics French, the lovers Swiss, and it is all organised by the Italians.

When deadlines loom, stereotype?

According to Media Awareness Network, stereotypes can be a side effect of tight deadlines. Reporters for daily newspapers or news shows often have to research, write and present a story in one working day. They may not have time to present several sides of an issue. They may need a quick, convenient, pre-packaged image, and a stereotypical word or headline can provide that.

Because the news industry is under pressure to attract readers and viewers, it has to produce stories that are compelling, short and easily understandable to a general audience. By using stereotypes, a complex issue involving people with complex motives can be reduced to a simple conflict between "good guys" and "bad guys". This can happen when the media try to make real events appear more dramatic, or when a situation needs to be explained in a 10-second sound bite.