Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup
of Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
________________________________________
CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of
Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 28, 2016
Bernie Sanders supporters are furious after CNN attributed the Vermont
senator’s primary wins over the weekend to the “largely white and rural”
makeups of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington—demographic claims that are
exaggerated.
In an article titled “Takeaways from Western Saturday,” CNN’s Chris Moody wrote
[3], “These caucus states—largely white and rural—are the type of places
Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he must
replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that hold
primaries, as he did in Michigan last month.”
There is a key problem, however: the claims are not true.
While Alaska is majority-white [4], one-third of its population is comprised of
people of color, with a large native population (14.8 percent). CNN’s own Mona
Basu noted [5] in January that the diversity of some Alaskan neighborhoods “may
surprise folks from the lower 48 who picture Alaska as a largely homogenous and
snowy American extremity. But Alaskans are quite proud of their distinctive
demographics.”
According to the latest data [6] from the U.S. Census, just 26.7 percent of
Hawaii's population identifies as White. Meanwhile, 10 percent are native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 37.5 percent are Asian, 23 percent are mixed race
and 2.5 percent are black. “More than any other state, Hawaii stands out when
it comes to its racial and ethnic diversity,” Pew Research Center wrote [7]
last year. “The Rainbow State has never had a white majority.”
Meanwhile, Washington is the seventh most diverse state in the country,
according to this list [8].
Employees of Time Warner, which owns CNN, are major donors [9] to Hillary
Clinton, fueling [10] concerns about CNN’s fairness to Sanders in its election
coverage.
CNN’s spin is in step with a much broader media narrative [11], in which
Sanders supposedly does not do well in states with racially diverse
populations. This narrative comes in the midst of an election cycle in which
Black Lives Matter protests have forced issues of racial justice into the
forefront. These movements are demanding real solutions from all candidates,
not superficial pandering to win votes.
Meanwhile, people of color who support Sanders are demanding that their
identities be seen. That’s why Leslie Lee III, a black Sanders supporter who is
from Louisiana and currently lives in Yokahama, Japan, started the hashtag
#BernieMadeMeWhite.
“The common narrative in this election that Bernie has a ‘minority problem’ or
that all his supporters are ‘bros’ is pervasive, and insulting to the POCs
[people of color] and women who support [him],” Lee told [12] Raw Story
reporter Katie Halper. But, “it hit a peak… when Hawaii, the least white state
in the nation, retroactively became white or ‘not diverse’ due to the fact that
Bernie won it. So, I started #BernieMadeMeWhite [13].”
The hashtag quickly took off on Twitter:
*Editor's Note: Article was modified to show that employees of Time Warner are
major donors to Clinton.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for Common
Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War.
Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [23].
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [24]
[25]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-cnn-stop-erasing-people-color-who-support-bernie-sanders
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/26/politics/primary-election-2016-takeaways/
[4] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/02
[5]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/most-diverse-place-in-america/index.html?sr=tw061215akmostdiverse11pStoryGallPhoto
[6] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/15
[7] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/06/native-hawaiian-population/
[8]
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-most-ethnically-diverse-states-in-america-362065/2/
[9]
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career
[10]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/money-talks-why-cnn-wants_b_8313536.html
[11]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/bernie-sanders-just-trounced-hillary_b_9551782.html
[12]
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/berniemademewhite-meet-the-black-writer-who-called-out-the-media-for-erasing-people-of-color/
[13] https://twitter.com/hashtag/BernieMadeMeWhite?src=hash
[14] https://twitter.com/HillyesRose
[15] https://twitter.com/MisaelFrancoO
[16] https://twitter.com/TheBpDShow
[17] https://twitter.com/cenkuygur
[18] https://twitter.com/tokyovampires/status/714074809303367680
[19] https://t.co/4lDvIL6Y6T
[20] https://twitter.com/SikhProf/status/714468886419210240
[21] https://t.co/5ez1E1JU5z
[22] https://twitter.com/sluggahjells/status/714276185405067264
[23] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[24] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on CNN Whitewashes ;
Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of Hawaii, Alaska
and Washington
[25] http://www.alternet.org/
[26] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup
of Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of
Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 28, 2016
Bernie Sanders supporters are furious after CNN attributed the Vermont
senator’s primary wins over the weekend to the “largely white and rural”
makeups of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington—demographic claims that are
exaggerated.
In an article titled “Takeaways from Western Saturday,” CNN’s Chris Moody wrote
[3], “These caucus states—largely white and rural—are the type of places
Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he must
replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that hold
primaries, as he did in Michigan last month.”
There is a key problem, however: the claims are not true.
While Alaska is majority-white [4], one-third of its population is comprised of
people of color, with a large native population (14.8 percent). CNN’s own Mona
Basu noted [5] in January that the diversity of some Alaskan neighborhoods “may
surprise folks from the lower 48 who picture Alaska as a largely homogenous and
snowy American extremity. But Alaskans are quite proud of their distinctive
demographics.”
According to the latest data [6] from the U.S. Census, just 26.7 percent of
Hawaii's population identifies as White. Meanwhile, 10 percent are native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 37.5 percent are Asian, 23 percent are mixed race
and 2.5 percent are black. “More than any other state, Hawaii stands out when
it comes to its racial and ethnic diversity,” Pew Research Center wrote [7]
last year. “The Rainbow State has never had a white majority.”
Meanwhile, Washington is the seventh most diverse state in the country,
according to this list [8].
Employees of Time Warner, which owns CNN, are major donors [9] to Hillary
Clinton, fueling [10] concerns about CNN’s fairness to Sanders in its election
coverage.
CNN’s spin is in step with a much broader media narrative [11], in which
Sanders supposedly does not do well in states with racially diverse
populations. This narrative comes in the midst of an election cycle in which
Black Lives Matter protests have forced issues of racial justice into the
forefront. These movements are demanding real solutions from all candidates,
not superficial pandering to win votes.
Meanwhile, people of color who support Sanders are demanding that their
identities be seen. That’s why Leslie Lee III, a black Sanders supporter who is
from Louisiana and currently lives in Yokahama, Japan, started the hashtag
#BernieMadeMeWhite.
“The common narrative in this election that Bernie has a ‘minority problem’ or
that all his supporters are ‘bros’ is pervasive, and insulting to the POCs
[people of color] and women who support [him],” Lee told [12] Raw Story
reporter Katie Halper. But, “it hit a peak… when Hawaii, the least white state
in the nation, retroactively became white or ‘not diverse’ due to the fact that
Bernie won it. So, I started #BernieMadeMeWhite [13].”
The hashtag quickly took off on Twitter:
*Editor's Note: Article was modified to show that employees of Time Warner are
major donors to Clinton.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for Common
Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn Against War.
Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [23].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [24]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[25]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-cnn-stop-erasing-people-color-who-support-bernie-sanders
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/26/politics/primary-election-2016-takeaways/
[4] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/02
[5]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/most-diverse-place-in-america/index.html?sr=tw061215akmostdiverse11pStoryGallPhoto
[6] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/15
[7] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/06/native-hawaiian-population/
[8]
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-most-ethnically-diverse-states-in-america-362065/2/
[9]
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career
[10]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/money-talks-why-cnn-wants_b_8313536.html
[11]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/bernie-sanders-just-trounced-hillary_b_9551782.html
[12]
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/berniemademewhite-meet-the-black-writer-who-called-out-the-media-for-erasing-people-of-color/
[13] https://twitter.com/hashtag/BernieMadeMeWhite?src=hash
[14] https://twitter.com/HillyesRose
[15] https://twitter.com/MisaelFrancoO
[16] https://twitter.com/TheBpDShow
[17] https://twitter.com/cenkuygur
[18] https://twitter.com/tokyovampires/status/714074809303367680
[19] https://t.co/4lDvIL6Y6T
[20] https://twitter.com/SikhProf/status/714468886419210240
[21] https://t.co/5ez1E1JU5z
[22] https://twitter.com/sluggahjells/status/714276185405067264
[23] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[24] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on CNN Whitewashes ;
Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of Hawaii, Alaska
and Washington
[25] http://www.alternet.org/
[26] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
