The topic of race and ethnicity in the media has generated a wealth of research attention. In general, analyses of media portrayals show a great deal of variability both across time and across types of media content. These variations are reflected in studies of racial differences in use and enjoyment of media offerings, and are also evident in research exploring potential effects that media portrayals may have on the attitudes and beliefs that viewers hold about race.

Portrayals of Race and Ethnicity

In the late 1960s, Cedric Clark (1969) characterized the typical ways that minorities are featured in the media by identifying four distinct stages of portrayals. The first stage, labeled "non-recognition," referred to the idea that initially, people of color are generally ignored by the media and are rarely seen in any type of portrayal. The second stage, "ridicule," referred to negative...