Managing blame for racism in broadcast media

Abstract

How do people negotiate blame for racism? In this article we focus on how participants manage the blameworthiness of racism—as a problem in society, and in relation to specific racist incidents—by scrutinising how sources of racism are formulated in broadcast media. This research develops our understanding of how racism is constructed in society as well as how blame functions to allocate responsibility to different parties. By examining racism as a conversational topic and blaming as a social action, our analysis develops important research into how racism is understood at this time in history and considers what the consequences might be of how blame is allocated for it.