I’ve never seen a white man’s mug shot in a newspaper, at least not in Iowa. That is not to say that it doesn’t happen, just not to my knowledge.

Newspapers discriminate and promote biased views. One specific point can be defined as “framing.” This is when the news paints the picture in the context which leads readers to assume a certain view or side which the majority can most be comfortable in believing.

A common stereotype today is that African-Americans are more prone to commit crimes than, say, white people. One way a newspaper helps to perpetuate the stereotype is by mug shots. Generally when you see an African-American accused of committing a crime on television news, you see that person handcuffed and being led head- down into a squad car. When you see a white man accused of having certain amounts of child pornography on his computer, and he is affiliated with Iowa State, you see him smiling, clean and in a polo shirt. I wonder what he looked like in his mug shot?

When I picked up the Sept. 19 issue of the Iowa State Daily, on the front page across from five white women preparing for a fashion show, I saw a young African-American woman in front of a “line-up” backdrop and holding a black “I’m guilty” sign across her chest. Couldn’t you have found a picture of her smiling, wearing a polo shirt?

I am not a judge, and I don’t want to be one, but I would like more justice in the representation of minorities.

Brian Koerperich

Alumnus