Kedra James |
SCHOOL: Tougaloo College
MAJOR: English with an emphasis in Journalism MENTOR: Dr. Stuart J. Bullion EXPECTED GRADUATION DATE: May 2005 ORGANIZATIONS & HONORS:
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ABSTRACT
Pictures in Our Heads: Racial Identification and Crime Coverage
in the Mississippi Press
| Research shows that attitudes and behaviors are often based on perceptions of reality rather than first-hand experience. Those perceptions make up a mental “pseudo-environment” shaped largely by mass media exposure. If suspects in crime news coverage are disproportionately identified as members of one race, negative stereotypes may be implanted in the minds of the general public. This can create a climate of race-based fear and distrust, which in turn threatens racial and social harmony. Indeed, the constitutional rights of criminal defendants to a fair trial could be threatened by such biases. In light of prevailing ethical and stylistic norms, this study will explore the practices and policies of Mississippi newspapers in relation to racial identification, especially in crime coverage. Findings suggest that Mississippi editors have abandoned the biased race identification routines of the segregation era in favor of race-neutral crime reporting. Further research is in order to determine if more subtle stereotyping by race exists in crime coverage. |