Quantity or quality, does the media reflect our society?

Our society has changed dramatically in recent decades. To what extent do our media reflect these changes? Prof. Rosemarie Buikema (Gender Studies) was interviewed in dr. Kelder en Co about research in and about our multicultural, pluralistic society.

Qualitative research

According to the Mediawet (Media Act) of 1988, television, radio and the press should reflect our society, which is becoming increasingly multicultural and pluralistic. Over the past twenty years, a lot of quantitative research has been done to see whether this is true, says Buikema. "Do the media indeed reflect how our society is changing?" By simply writing down when, for example, women or ethnic minorities are part of the programme, this can be determined.

Representation

According to Buikema, counting is important, but not the most interesting part of this research topic. Numbers are more than simply numbers: they matter and can be used to enable inclusiveness. If we look beyond quantity at the quality of representation, we see "that our stories always show a kind of role division that is gendered and racialised". If we want the media to truly reflect the diverse population, we need to counteract such stereotyping roles, as they perpetuate inequalities, both old and new.