Race, Myth And The News

How are the perceptions of the majority culture, the 'preferred readings', reflected in television news? How do they reinforce stereotyped attitudes on race? This interpretive analysis presents evidence of racism, including under-representation, within news texts. The author examines the values, traditions and practices of news production that, often unconsciously, serve to maintain the alienation of racial groups in society. While the focus is on local television news in the United States, Race, Myth and the News has a broad relevance to studies of culture and race.

How are the perceptions of the majority culture, the 'preferred readings', reflected in television news? How do they reinforce stereotyped attitudes on race? This interpretive analysis presents evidence of racism, including under-representation, within news texts. The author examines the values, traditions and practices of news production that, often unconsciously, serve to maintain the alienation of racial groups in society. While the focus is on local television news in the United States, Race, Myth and the News has a broad relevance to studies of culture and race.

Booknews

Based on 39 hours of local television news from a geographical cross-section of the US during January 1993, Campbell (communications, Xavier U., New Orleans) constructs an interpretive framework for analyzing the racial element in the content, then points out the lingering vestiges of traditional overt racism and the persistence of racial stereotyping, and compares those findings with studies of prime-time fictional television. He also compares the television and newspaper coverage of the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. His conclusion is that popular non-news media provide a more accurate portrait of race in America. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)