Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Various types of ties aren't being represented fairly in society

lurkette · 10-17-2003, 06:12 PM

Most of the studies I'm familiar with about representations of race in the media are television content analyses done 5-10 years ago, or more.

If you're really interested in getting a realistic perspective on how people of different races are portrayed, do your own content analysis of your local network channel. Watch the nightly news and a few hours of prime time, count the number of times people of various races are portrayed, and whether each portrayal is positive, negative, or neutral/mixed. I'd be interested to see if the types of portrayals have changed since I was a media studies student.

It's always possible to go overboard - as with not showing pictures of suspects (though, to be fair, they're still considered innocent till proven guilty). But to take an extreme case like that and argue that therefore fairness of portrayal shouldn't be considered in the media is a bit reactionary. Even though blacks may commit more crimes per capita than whites, they are shown as criminals, especially violent criminals, in disproportionate numbers in the media (or at least were last time I saw any studies done).

10-17-2003, 06:12 PM	#11 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	Most of the studies I'm familiar with about representations of race in the media are television content analyses done 5-10 years ago, or more. If you're really interested in getting a realistic perspective on how people of different races are portrayed, do your own content analysis of your local network channel. Watch the nightly news and a few hours of prime time, count the number of times people of various races are portrayed, and whether each portrayal is positive, negative, or neutral/mixed. I'd be interested to see if the types of portrayals have changed since I was a media studies student. It's always possible to go overboard - as with not showing pictures of suspects (though, to be fair, they're still considered innocent till proven guilty). But to take an extreme case like that and argue that therefore fairness of portrayal shouldn't be considered in the media is a bit reactionary. Even though blacks may commit more crimes per capita than whites, they are shown as criminals, especially violent criminals, in disproportionate numbers in the media (or at least were last time I saw any studies done). __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France