ABSTRACT
In updating the status of social science examinations of racial/ethnic minorities and television, this chapter details current research efforts in three primary domains: (1) content analyses, (2) usage patterns, and (3) effects studies. Additionally, the 30 years of prior investigations of minorities and mass media are reviewed. In this manner, we can report systematically on the extent to which minority groups appear across time and genres of television programming, the types of portrayals of minorities that are found, as well as the potential for these depictions to influence perceptions of self and others. Within these assessments, particular emphasis is placed on the four largest U.S. racial/ethnic minority groups: Blacks, Latinos, Asian Americans, and Native Americans.
