Can the Media Ever Be Neutral? Dr Michelle Keller on Media Bias, Racial Narratives, and Public Trust

In this episode of Narrative Practices: Discourse in Action, Dr. Michelle L. Keller joins host Tony Errichetti, PhD, for a conversation about media bias, racialized reporting, newsroom accountability, and the future of trustworthy journalism.

Dr. Keller, a communication scholar and former journalist, discusses her research into The Kansas City Star’s historic public apology for decades of racist coverage and what it reveals about the narratives that shape American life. Through examples ranging from crime reporting to immigration, drug epidemics, and natural disasters, she breaks down how language, framing, and newsroom norms influence public perception and reinforce structural inequality.

The conversation explores:
• How major newspapers codified racial bias through language and the AP Stylebook
• Why The Kansas City Star issued a front-page apology — and what changed afterward
• Double standards in U.S. media: “looting” vs. “finding supplies,” “crack epidemic” vs. “opioid crisis”
• How DEI efforts are reframed through backlash narratives and “reverse racism” discourse
• How journalists can rebuild trust through representation, listening, and community-centered reporting
• Why a free and diverse press is essential for democracy, empathy, and public accountability

Dr. Keller offers a rare inside look at institutional reckoning in journalism — and what must happen next for media to serve communities with accuracy, integrity, and compassion.

🔗 Connect with Dr. Michelle Keller:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellelkeller/
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💡 About Narrative Practices: Discourse in Action

A podcast exploring how language, story, and rhetoric shape meaning, legitimacy, and change.

Narrative Practices: Discourse in Action brings together clinicians, educators, journalists, artists, and social justice practitioners to examine how discourse governs what can be said, whose stories are heard, and how narrative frameworks influence systems of care, policy, and cultural life.

Each episode interrogates the narratives that authorize practices, the language that builds or breaks trust, and the rhetoric that persuades or suppresses. The series invites listeners to consider how storytelling can open new possibilities for integrity, dialogue, and human connection.

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