New Racisms in the News

Abstract

In 21st‐century societies it is no longer admissible that media in any way use or portray clear discrimination against groups because of their race, gender, class, or age, but new forms of subtle, understated bias are still to be found, contributing to what is called the “new racism,” accentuated from a gender perspective. This contemporary perspective of racism is not as explicit as was the case with slavery, collective lynching, apartheid, or other forms of systematic discrimination by White supremacy, related to extreme right movements. Instead, “new racisms” in the news derive from apparently respectable and inclusive discourses, where ethnic gendered minorities appear as different and not as inferior. Nevertheless, they are connoted with certain “social disabilities,” and intertwining race with gender, sexuality, type of family, social class, and profession provide a useful insight into the visibility of these new racisms. As people are simultaneously members of many social groups, an intersectional approach is being used to grasp the increasing complexities of the new racisms in terms of gender, but also class, sexuality, and age. Considering the power of media discourse as the most influential type of public discourse there is a risk of a cognitive and discursive hegemony enabling new racisms to develop in a subtle and unconscious manner.