Racism and the Mass Media: A Study of the Role of the Mass Media in the Formation of White Beliefs and Attitudes in Britain

288 Pages·1974·14.621 MB·English

by  Paul Hartmann, Charles Husband

In this book a broad interdisciplinary
approach is used to examine the role of |
the mass media in the formation of
white beliefs and attitudes regarding
coloured people in Britain. This
approach has not only yielded
particularly impressive results, but has
also demonstrated the inadequacy of
certain research techniques in the study
of race relations.
The authors produce consistently
powerful evidence from content analysis
and survey data which shows the
importance of the news media in
influencing the white Briton’s
understanding of race relations in
Britain. The general feature of the
picture of the world derived from the
media was that coloured people
represent in various ways a problem
and a threat. This research has shown
that the habitual procedures of
professional journalists are in
themselves sufficient to produce
inadequate and biased reporting of race
relations in Britain. Normal journalistic
procedures, not conspiracy theories, are
sufficient to account for the emphasis on
conflict and the definition of
immigration and immigrants as a
problem. This controversial study traces
the development of the imagery of
blackness and shows how the
entertainment media reinforces
stereotyped thinking about race and
colour. The authors also argue that the
media promote expectations and
aspirations which are unobtainable for
the majority,and these blocked
expectations may then become fuel for
racial prejudice. Thus,even indirectly,
media content, not itself concerned with
race, may well be influencing racial
attitudes. This book represents a serious
and well-documented critique of the
mass media’s handling of race
relations. The research findings indicate
that media professionals cannot be
complacent about their responsibilities.
Both authors work at the Centre for Mass
Communications Research atthe
University of Leicester.

RACISM AND THE MASS MEDIA
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Racism and the
Mass Media
A study of the role of the Mass Media in
the formation of white beliefs
and attitudes in Britain
PAUL HARTMANN &
CHARLES HUSBAND
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ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD
TOTOWA, NEW JERSEY = \?
First published in the United States 1974
by Rowman and Littlefield, Totowa. N.J.
ISBN 0-874.71-450-8
Printed in Great Britain
Contents
Chapter 1 The British Response to Colourea”
Immigration 9
Chapter 2 British Images of the Black Man 20
Chapter 3 The Study of Prejudice 35
Chapter 4 The Design of the Study 60
Chapter 5 Attitudes and the Mass Media 80
Chapter 6 Definitions of the Situation 96
Chapter 7 Race in the British Press 127
Chapter 8 The News Media and Race
Relations 147
Chapter g The Entertainment Media 188
Chapter 10 Conclusion 205
Appendix I Children’s Interview Schedule 215
Appendix II Children’s Written Questionnaire 224.
Appendix III Parents’ Interview Schedule 228
Appendix IV Measures used in the Surveys 241
Appendix V_ Response Categories for Open-Ended
Questions 247
Appendix VI Tables 249
Index 275
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