Minorities and Communication 2004 Abstracts
Minorities and Communication Division
FACULTY RESEARCH
International Diplomacy and the Prelude To 2003 Invasion of Iraq: African News Coverage and Assessment • Emmanuel C. Alozie, Governors State University • This study analyzed how the sub-Saharan African press interpreted events leading to the 2003 American-led military invasion of Iraq. It found that the press opposed the policies and efforts to initiate a military action. The opposition was based on the contention that a Western-led attack on Iraq, without international consensus, would produce political, economic and social upheaval in the Middle East, which might spread to Africa.
The Effectiveness of “Typical-User” Testimonial Ads on Black Browsers’ Evaluation of Products On Commercial Web Sites: Do They Really Work? • Osei Appiah, Ohio State University • This study tested the effectiveness of black and white character testimonial ads on black browsers’ evaluation of a high-end technical product on a commercial Web site. The results demonstrate that testimonial ads that feature black characters positively influence black browsers, but testimonial ads that feature white characters are no more effective than a site without testimonial ads. Specifically, the findings indicate that black browsers identified more strongly with black character testimonials, were more likely to believe a site was targeting them when the site contained black testimonials, and recalled more product information from a site that featured black character testimonials vis-á-vis a site with either white character testimonials or no testimonials.
Idaho Unido: Providing Print Media That Meet the Needs of Hispanic Populations in Distributed Rural Areas • Martine R. Beachboard, Idaho State University • Hispanics account for approximately 13.3 percent of Americans. Often overlooked are the media needs of the growing numbers of Hispanics in non-metropolitan areas. One Idaho couple met the needs of a rural Hispanic population by publishing the bilingual biweekly Idaho Unido. This study addresses the motivation for publication, readers’ use for cultural maintenance, and the publisher’s business model. This success story may serve as an example for other small newspapers serving minority publics.
Audience Loyalty and Spanish-Language Radio • Todd Chambers, Texas Tech University • This study focused on time spent listening and station switching as measures of loyalty to Spanish-language radio stations. Data were collected from industry resources and measured a variety of variables including the amount of time a person listens to a particular radio station and the degree a station has audience turnover as a measure for station switching for Spanish-language and mainstream stations in selected Hispanic radio markets. Overall, the results suggest that some Spanish-language radio stations had higher levels of time spent listening and lower levels of audience turnover. The findings have implications for Spanish-language radio stations that may under-perform in traditional ratings analysis but over-perform when other measures of radio listening habits are considered.
We Finally Got a Piece of the Pie (Maybe): Hegemony and Multi-raciality in “The Jeffersons” • Michele S. Foss, Pacific University • Through a methodology consisting of textual analysis (narrative and rhetorical), this paper attempts to answer the following questions: How does television construct the concept of mixed race, especially within genres not traditionally considered to be “racialized,” or frequent sources of racial discussion? Does television in general, and “The Jeffersons” specifically, use that construction and polysemy to strengthen the bonds of hegemony and push society forward to the bliss of the status quo? If so, how?
“By the Color of Her Skin”: Effects of Endorser Ethnicity on African American Women’s Attitudes To Seek Early Detection of Breast Cancer • Cynthia M. Frisby, University of Missouri • While they are less likely to develop breast cancer, African American women diagnosed with breast cancer have significantly shorter life expectancy rates than Caucasian women diagnosed with similar disease, research shows. The research in this paper seeks to determine how ethnicity of the endorser might be used to influence and/or change health-related attitudes and behaviors of African American women. Data reveal that ads containing African American endorsers are and can be most effective in changing attitudes toward early prevention of breast cancer.
Black Images In the Media and Black Attitudes Toward Affirmative Action • Yuki Fujioka, Georgia State University • The self-administered survey of 203 African American respondents examined the relationship among black images in the media, perceived public perception of the in-group and endorsement of affirmative action. The study found that negative evaluation of black media images predicted perceived lower level of public attitudes toward blacks, which in turn, resulted in a greater endorsement of affirmative action.
A New Path For Native American Tribal Media: Perceptions of Development Communication • Teresa T. Lamsam, Nebraska at Omaha; and Keith P. Sanders, University of Missouri • This analysis uses the theories of development communication to examine perceptions of Native American tribal media among key staff members of tribal development programs in health, housing and education. Q Methodology was used to determine perceptions of development communication in relation to tribal media and to interpret the strength and characteristics of those views. Three attitudinal types – symbolically named Fortress Builders, Abode Builders and Bridge Builders – were analyzed for characteristics.
Bridging the East and West: Roles, Reporters and Chinese-Language Newspapers • Carol M. Liebler and Wanfeng Zhou, Syracuse University• This paper investigates the roles journalists at three Chinese language daily newspapers assign both to themselves and to their organizations. We examine these roles in the context of crisis-driven news (SARS), as well as in more routine contexts. Data obtained through in-depth interviews reveal journalists go beyond traditional roles identified in the literature. Not only does advocacy play an important role, but journalists stress the need for news to be reported through “Chinese eyes,” particularly during crises. It further appears some reporters question dominant ideology, and this is reflected in their approach to their news work.
Spanish-language Radio Use In Rural America • Alex Ortiz, Texas Tech University • This research examines the role of Spanish-language radio in the ethnic identity formation in a group of mostly recently arrived Mexican residents in Central Florida. The data indicate that ethnic radio primarily fulfils a native-culture linking function among listeners, providing information that helps them maintain a distinct Mexican- or Latino-based identity. However, respondents also reported that ethnic radio performs a limited assimilative purpose for its ability to connect listeners to the dominant society.
Racial Profiling in the Newsroom: A Case Study • David Pritchard and Sarah Brzenzinski, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee • This study examines the kinds of stories covered by white and minority reporters at a daily newspaper in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The results showed that minority journalists were assigned mostly to beats and stories that dealt principally with minority issues. Whites, on the other hand, tended to cover issues of general interest and power. Explanations for this discrepancy focused on the invaluable contribution of experience and knowledge to a reporter’s work.
Latino and African-American Press Reactions – to Mainstream Coverage of Census Statistics on Race and Ethnicity: The Politics of Appropriation and Contestation • Ilia Rodriguez, University of New Mexico • The purpose of this paper is to compare coverage of the 2003 U.S. Census Bureau release of statistics on Latino population growth to elucidate how news narratives in Latino, African-American and mainstream papers produced competing discourses on inter-ethnic relations in the United States, with emphasis on the construction of perceptions of black-latino relation.
Racial Representation and Role Depiction in Magazine Advertising: A Content Analysis • Govinda Tidball and Frauke Hatchtmann, University of Nebraska at Lincoln • In the past, arguments arose that mass media advertising campaigns were reluctant to use non-white models for mass media advertising efforts. This research study investigates the controversial issue of racial representation, as well as apparent role depiction, across different media in order to derive conclusions concerning the following: Are Whites portrayed more frequently and more prominently than non-Whites as the models of choice in mass media advertising? How are members of the racial groups classified as White, African-American, Asian, and Hispanic portrayed in advertising in relationship to each other? The primary value of this research study is that it provides a frame of reference for past racial representation and role portrayals in mass media advertising.
Looking Back to Look Forward: Standard 12 Two Decades Later • Evonne Whitmore, Kent State University • This paper seeks to provide a historical perspective on the impact of ACEJMC’ s Standard 12 on the Council and on the curriculum. The adoption of Standard 12 in 1984 by the accrediting council signaled the beginning of the diversity movement in journalism higher education. Standard 12 required journalism schools to document the hiring of women and people of color to faculties and to show the contributions of minorities in the curriculum. For 20 years the Standard has dominated much of the discussion at Council meetings and has frequently led in non-compliance levels. To gain an understanding of the tussle between schools and the Council over the standard, a historical analysis was conducted on more than 300 ACEJMC documents from 1986 to 2003.
STUDENT RESEARCH
The 51st State Debate: An Analysis of How Four American Newspapers Covered the 1998 Vote to Determine the Future Status of Puerto Rico • Mariel Betancourt-Beil, Ohio University • This study analyzed the sources and opinions presented in stories regarding the 1998 vote to determine Puerto Rico’s future status as a nation. Through a content analysis of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune and Washington Post, the study discovered that diversity of sources was much greater than diversity of opinions expressed by these sources. Roughly 62.7% of all sources failed to express whether they supported Puerto Rico’s statehood or not.
Gambling with Identity: Self-Representation of Native Americans on Web sites by Tribes that have Casinos • David Cuillier, Washington State University • This textual analysis of 205 official Native American Web sites evaluates how tribes in different economic power positions represent their identities on the Internet. The findings show that half of the tribes with casinos construct identities of the exotic Other, such as tepees and stoic chiefs in headdresses. In contrast, fewer than 1 in 10 of the tribes without casinos communicate the same identity, instead displaying modem images and assertions of resistance. Implications are discussed.
Influences Affecting Newspaper Coverage of American Indians from Journalistic Perspective • Andrew Morozov, Jay Love, Helga Wernicke and Steve Barrus, Washington State University • This study examines working newspaper journalists’ concept of their professional role with respect to their coverage of news about American Indians. The study utilizes a content analysis of transcripts taken from in-depth interviews with journalists and editors at a small town newspaper in the Northwest. The analysis reveals a number of factors hindering the reporters’ ability to cover news involving American Indians in a manner consistent with their professional roles and goals.
Asian Representations in Film • David C. Oh, Syracuse University • A content analysis was performed of mass market U.S. films with prominent Asian portrayals over seven decades to test whether perceived social distance of Asian ethnic groups affects portrayals of Asian characters. Asian characters were found to be portrayed as negatively valenced and unaccultured with portrayals becoming more positive over time. This study supports the hypothesis that perceived social distance affects the portrayal of Asian characters in film.
Fitting the pieces together: The puzzle of newspaper coverage of Hispanics in emerging immigrant communities • Lisa M. Paulin, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill • This study examines newspaper coverage of Hispanics in nine emerging immigrant communities using content analysis. The results indicate that newspapers are generally attempting to portray Hispanics positively and to promote social understanding, but at the same time, Hispanics are still being portrayed as victims who are not in control of their circumstances. This study shows that newspapers, just as communities, are grappling with the issue of how to effectively cover a complex group.
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