-
Essay / Mainstream media coverage of Rodney King and the LA riots
IntroIn 1991, Rodney King was in a high-speed chase with police and when he was arrested, he was brutally beaten by four police officers white, the four police officers were acquitted of all charges. The officers' acquittal led to the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Mainstream media coverage played a key role in how the general public received information and how information was presented to them, which shaped how people perceived the situation. Different media outlets portrayed situations different from others, such as the riots, with King being a victim or seen as evil. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Portrayal of the Los Angeles Riots During the time of the Los Angeles Riots, there were many different angles and perspectives on how the Los Angeles Riots were depicted. Different media outlets impacted the general public by portraying the riots as good or bad. "It had been filmed and seen around the world - including in the same Southern California neighborhoods that didn't need a translator to rally around NWA's 'F**k Tha Police' - but a Once again, white authorities were given a free pass for racially motivated violence. People took to the streets and began destroying everything within reach. from Rolling Stone seemed to justify the Los Angeles riots In the article they imply that white cops were let off in a situation like this The article even says that the Rodney King incident essentially gave a. pass to the riots. Some people interviewed by USC News at the time of the riots said that it was not a riot but a rebellion. Many people felt that way. said it wasn't the first time something like this had happened, she said it had been going on for 200 years and people were tired. The Rolling Stone article seemed to be a reminder to America that the La Riot riots were not a disaster. the first riots, and there have been race riots of this magnitude in America for a long time. The article even goes into depth about how Americans are tired of being killed, beaten, and how black people have developed zero tolerance for anything that happens to them. This article seems to be aimed at people who don't understand why people are protesting or who view the riots as senseless. But I wanted to make these people understand that the riots are not senseless, but how they can shape America. Some media outlets viewed the riots as senseless and that people had no legitimate reason to riot. And I wanted to remind the general public of the untold story of Rodney King that was twisted from the truth. US News said America's "worst riot in a century" has "now been transformed into a series of half-truths and misconceptions." US News wanted to remind people participating in the riots, and those watching in their living rooms across the country, that the stories they heard were exaggerated fabrications of the truth. By saying things like the worst American riot of the century, it captivates the general public and makes them rethink the situation. “Rodney King's revenge was only superficially present in the minds of those who started the riot at the now infamous intersection of Florence and Normandy avenues.” Revenge was thesole reason for the worst riot of the century, the United States said, suggesting there was no valid reason for the 50 deaths, 2,300 injuries and $1 billion in damage other than the revenge. Many have described the rioters as senseless people who are rioting not for change but for chaos. Koreans saw the rioters not as people who wanted change, but as people who wanted to destroy their businesses. Live news shows like NBC News interview angry and sad Koreans saying things like "Why are we the victims." This showed that the riot was only hurting, angering and inconveniencing people. Negative and Positive Portrayal of the Riots and Rodney King Popular media used their popularity and characterization to criminalize King or portray him as a victim and a hero. US News revealed the truth about King's arrest that led to the riots. “He blew a kiss and shook his buttocks in the direction of a policewoman who had ordered him, at gunpoint, to lie down. “King’s behavior so alarmed the arresting officers that they incorrectly assumed he was on PCP.” The news article used eyewitnesses at the event to show that King was not the victim the general public believed him to be. “A second Taser dart fired by Sgt. Stacey Koon failed to neutralize the 6-foot-3, 225-pound King,” this article described King as a huge giant who could not be brought down with basic measurements. This implies that the four police officers who beat him were justified in doing what they did. In an interview on NBC News, one of the jury members said King controlled how long he was beaten. She said if he had complied it would have been over quickly. She said: “He was in total control.” She even said that "Rodney King wasn't even seriously hurt." “Can we all get along?” famous words spoken by Rodney King. A man who made change in the eyes of some, who was fed up with acts of injustice towards the black community and who wanted the violence to stop. King, who at the height of the riots implored people to stop fighting and 'get along,' said he felt he played a small part in the civil rights movement and the change within the LAPD. it's time to try to promote change in Los Angeles and the nation. He was even recognized as part of the civil rights movement. The Rev. Al Sharpton called King "a symbol of civil rights." Many people at that time viewed King the same way. Not everyone saw King as a hero, but they didn't view him as negative. One lady said that “Rodney’s situation gave the world a glimpse of police brutality and cover-ups.” Korean Perspective The Los Angeles riots were not just black and white: many different groups were involved, such as the Koreans. Koreans felt like no one was focusing on their problems. Sa-i-gu knows Koreans like the day the riots broke out near Koreatown. Koreans owned many stores in Koreatown and considered their stores their “American Dream.” They were furious that their stores had been ransacked and burned and nothing had been done to resolve the problem. There were already tensions between Korean Americans and African Americans. African-Americans viewed Korean-Americans as "exploitative and would not hire blacks, and viewed them as hostile and rude." And the.