1 Chapter 19 The Effects of Minority Portrayals

2 Media As Conveyors of Social Information Studies on minorities in mass media fall under two main categories: Descriptions of minority portrayals Their effects on audiences

3 Minority Portrayals in Entertainment Three methods to describe minority characterizations: 1. Counting the number of different characters of various races 2. Assessing the significance of each character in a program 3. Similarities, differences, and interactions between characters played by people of different races

4 Counting Heads Are minority characters underrepresented on television? Do their numbers on television match their numbers in society? Recently, studies have shown that network television is becoming more sensitive to the number of black character portrayals, but not other types of minorities.

5 Role Comparisons Examine the roles played by whites and nonwhites to discover how television is portraying them in terms of: Characterization Violence Occupations Age Other factors

6 Portrayals of Interracial Interactions How does television portray whites, blacks, and those of other races in their interactions with one another? Do programs provide accurate portrayals or do they present people of color in stereotypical or demeaning ways? Study the characters of different races in the same program and examine how those characters compare with one another.

7 The Current Picture Minority portrayals during the television season found blacks overrepresented and other minorities underrepresented. Ratings for cable programs were much higher among blacks than among whites. More and more black actors and actresses are landing starring roles.

8 Minority Portrayals in News Reports Increased presence of minorities in the news Black and white candidates were covered differently in news stories. The coverage of homosexuals through the years has been negative and prejudicial.

9 Minority Portrayals in Advertising Blacks and Asian Americans have made significant gains in some media but other minorities remain underrepresented. The appearance of blacks in magazine ads and television ads has increased over the years.

10 The Current Scene Tyra Banks was the first black woman to make the cover of Sports Illustrated. Supermodel Naomi Campbell teamed up with Elle McPherson and Claudia Schiffer to open trendy restaurants in major cities of the world. Latinos are highly underrepresented in ads.

11 Minority Portrayals in Children’s Programming Award-winning programs recognized for their sensitivity to minority issues: Sesame Street Mr. Rogers Electric Company Historically a much less diverse picture emerges when one changes to the children’s programs on commercial networks.

12 The Effects of Minority Portrayals Viewers enjoy seeing people of their own color in the media. Black youngsters are more likely to believe that television portrayals of blacks and non-blacks are realistic. White children use television as a primary source of information about black children. Black children use information from television much more extensively in their lives.

13 Effects on Majority Audiences Children who spend the most time watching violent programming are most likely to have negative stereotypes of blacks. Whites tend to stereotype people of color on the basis of media messages and direct contact with the people.

14 Effects on Minority Audiences Ethnic minority children Have distinct and different preferences in television programs Have particular orientations toward television and mass media Respond with similar behaviors to programs that include minority characters portrayals Learn from television and use the information as an important source of instruction

15 Effects on Minority Audiences (Cont’d) Blacks tend to watch more television than whites and this shapes their view of the world. They are more likely to think that TV resembles reality. Racial self-esteem is affected more by peers and parents than by black TV programs.

16 Research Agenda for the Future Investigations that explore the meanings of relationships and interactions in families of color What people acquire from both fictional and non- fictional television content How people process family portrayals of people of color Televised portrayals of people of color in advertising Have increased portrayals changed perceptions of African Americans?