Don't Believe the Hype: Fighting Cultural Misinformation About African Americans. - book reviews

American Visions, Feb-March, 1995 by T. Andreas Spelman

By Farai Chideya (Plume. 1995. $10.95)--Journalist Chideya posits that the information most whites receive about black people comes from newspapers and television news programs, a situation she finds unfortunate, since American journalism is often biased when covering the lives of blacks. One example she cites is the media's portrayal of affirmative action programs as primarily advancing African Americans.

The author dispels this myth with evidence from government organizations that proves that white women have gained the most from these programs. Addressing misconceptions in such areas as academic capabilities, professional qualifications and violent behavior, this guide arms readers with statistics, common sense and hard-boiled facts to enable them to astutely question and challenge the media's misrepresentation of African Americans.