Media Representations of Ethnicity | Media | AQA A-Level Sociology

This key topic video provides A Level Sociology students with an essential summary of sociological perspectives on media representations of ethnicity. Key studies and ideas are summarised and evaluated.

1. Historical Negative Stereotypes: Over the past 60 years, media representations of ethnic minority groups in Western media, particularly in the UK, were characterised by largely negative stereotypes.
2. Homogeneous Grouping: Despite increased representation, there's a tendency to homogenise all non-white ethnic groups, emphasising a collective identity rather than acknowledging the diverse cultural characteristics within each ethnicity.
3. Media Deliberation and Division: Stuart Hall's neo-Marxist perspective argues that media deliberately transmits negative representations of ethnic minorities, fostering audience complicity in forming crude stereotypes. This deliberate portrayal is seen as a strategy by ruling classes to create division and scapegoat ethnic minorities for societal issues.
4. Three Categories of Representation: Media representations of ethnic minority groups are categorised by van Dijk into criminals, threats to societal structure, and downplaying issues. This is exemplified through excessive focus on black criminality, moral panics about terrorism, and limited coverage of ethnic minority victims of crime compared to white victims.
5. Underrepresentation and Tokenism: Despite recent efforts for greater ethnic diversity in media, there are challenges, including underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in media establishments, accusations of tokenism, and insufficient progress in addressing power inequalities within media organisations.