In the early 1990s, local media played a central role in the Rwanda genocide that aimed to get rid of the Tutsi, a minority ethnic group in the country.  Between 500,000 to a million people were killed in Rwanda – a country of only seven million people.  Before the genocide began, state-owned local print and radio stations promoted anti-Tutsi hate speech that became not only acceptable but the norm.  Initially, the hate speech focused on demonizing the Tutsi.  By 1994, the hate speech had escalated to the point of directly inciting violence and murder.  What happened in Rwanda is an anomaly that now serves as an international reminder of how media can be used to harm society.  May we never forget Rwanda.

A recent book by Juan Gonzalez and Joseph Torres, News for all the People, narrates the role media has played in the U.S. in regards to race.  The authors of this important and timely book state:

“It is our contention that newspapers, radio, and television played a pivotal role in perpetuating racists’ views among the general population.  They did so by routinely portraying non-white minorities as threats to a white society and by reinforcing racial ignorance, group hatred, and discriminatory government policies.”

Unfortunately, the U.S. media’s portrayal of people of color and immigrants as a threatening influence continues to wax and wane. The media needs an enemy, especially during a time of crisis, and the enemy of choice is often “the other.”  Undocumented immigrants come to take our jobs, Muslims kill U.S. citizens, African-Americans lower our quality of life.  We’ve heard them all.

The National Hispanic Media Coalition’s (NHMC) mission includes fighting negative portrayals of Latinos in media.  This is an important effort because perception is reality, especially for children.  Throughout its 25-year history, NHMC has fought numerous incidents of hate speech in media, focusing on the most egregious of cases.  In 1996, Sacramento disk jockey, Jeff Katz, on KSTE-AM, suggested that drivers “should be awarded a sombrero bumper sticker” for hitting undocumented immigrants attempting to cross into the United States from Mexico.  Katz said that for every 10 bumper stickers collected a motorist would “earn a free drink or meal at Taco Bell.”  NHMC mobilized the community against Katz and the station.  Ultimately, Katz was fired.  In 2009, NHMC joined community coalitions fighting against CNN Lou Dobbs’ hateful immigration rhetoric.  NHMC’s President & CEO, Alex Nogales, met with CNN’s President, Jon Klein, to urge him to have Dobbs return to being a credible journalist or to fire him immediately.  Less than a week after Nogales met with Klein, Lou Dobbs announced his resignation.  NHMC has benefited from the lessons of these and other public campaigns and has refined its strategy on hate speech in media.  If the broadcasters ignore the public’s complaint, then the public has the right to go to the advertisers and educate them on the collision of their brand with hate speech.  No smart corporation wants, or needs, that brand conflict.

This is exactly what NHMC is now doing with its current campaign in Los Angeles targeting John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou, two local shock jocks who for years have made a profit by trafficking hate.   John and Ken’s modus operandi is to target vulnerable groups and their advocates, vilify them and make a call to action to their angry listeners.  Throughout the years, they have perfected hate speech, while their station managers have enjoyed the high ratings and turned a blind eye to the unsubstantiated and harmful rhetoric.  On many occasions, John and Ken have released personal phone numbers knowing full well that their irate listeners would take action.  Most recently, John and Ken released the phone number of an advocate who, subsequently, received over 500 calls, some of the calls life threatening.  It turns out that this latest incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back for many community leaders in Los Angeles.  Over forty national and local organizations and more than one thousand individuals have joined NHMC in asking KFI, the profiteers of John and Ken’s hate, to stop the hate.  KFI is not ready to do what is right, but so far 10 major corporations have agreed to distance themselves from The John and Ken Show. Many small businesses have stopped advertising on the show as well. As KFI frantically recruits new replacement advertisers, the campaign will continue to educate the advertisers on what and whom they are supporting.

There comes a time when the conventional wisdom shifts, and the time is now for our society to take a stand against hate speech in media.  Unsubstantiated rhetoric and dehumanizing metaphors targeting vulnerable groups have become the norm for some media outlets.  Yes, the First Amendment is alive and well in this country but this doesn’t mean that broadcasters are entitled to give the microphone to anybody willing to whip people into a frenzy for the sake of ratings.  There comes a time when the public must take a stand and demand that broadcasters recognize that vilifying a community is a dangerous game to play.  Broadcasters are given a federal license for the privilege to use the public airwaves and they have a responsibility to serve the public.  Rwanda should be a constant reminder of the power that media can have on society and we all must be vigilant that this power not go too far.  As Malcolm X once said, “If you’re not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”