The Media Gaze

Book excerpt: While Canada is known for its official commitment to diversity, a close look at our media reveals that though they frequently promote superficial representations of difference, they actually play a pivotal role in producing and reproducing the values, structures, and priorities of a predominantly “straight,” white, male society. The Media Gaze exposes how newscasters, advertisers, filmmakers, and television programmers attempt to co-opt audiences into believing that media depictions entail neither prejudice nor perspective. In truth, the experiences of those who fall outside of the media’s preferred populations are actively ignored or misrepresented. In this timely audit of the Canadian mainstream media, sociologist Augie Fleras draws on compelling case studies to explore the societal implications of the industry’s hidden bias. He also examines alternative forms of media and media literacy to present readers with tools to challenge the dominant agenda.