ABSTRACT
Inadequate broadcast news coverage of Hispanics is particularly obvious when measured by the number and proportion of Latinos who appear on-screen as correspondents, anchors, and other "newsmakers." For example, Hispanics historically have been severely underrepresented as on-screen correspondents in the broadcast news media. The "mass media"—an almost undefinable mix of television news and entertainment, feature films, and print materials of all kinds—constitutes an enormous "socializing force" in society. The media wields power that shapes Americans' attitudes toward each other and the world. The Annenberg School also examined the proportion of Hispanics on major network news that is either delivering the news, making news, or cited as sources or authorities. Not only are Hispanics severely underrepresented in entertainment programming, those that do appear in such programs tend to be portrayed negatively. Hispanics appear to have been portrayed negatively in the "objective" news media as well.
