Diversity in U.S. Mass Media

Provides students with clear and up-to-date coverage of the various areas associated with representations of diversity within the mass media

Diversity in U.S. Mass Media is designed to help undergraduate and graduate students deepen the conversations around diversity, equity, and inclusion in the media industries. Identifying consistencies and differences in representations of social identity groups in the United States, this comprehensive textbook critically examines a wide range of issues surrounding media portrayals of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, class, and religion. Throughout the text, students are encouraged to contextualize various issues, place one social group within the framework of others, and consider how diverse communities inform and intersect with each other.

Now in its third edition, Diversity in U.S. Mass Media addresses ongoing problematic portrayals, highlights recent progress, presents new research studies and observations, and offers innovative approaches for promoting positive change across the media landscape. Two entirely new chapters explore the ways identity-based social movements, Artificial Intelligence (AI), gaming, social media, and social activism construct, challenge, and defend representations of different groups. Updated references and new examples of social group depictions in streaming services and digital media are accompanied by expanded discussion of intersectionality, social activism, creating inclusive learning and working environments, media depictions of mixed-race individuals and couples, and more.

Offering fresh insights into the contemporary issues surrounding depictions of social groups in films, television, and the press, Diversity in U.S. Mass Media:

• Examines the historical evolution and current media depictions of American Indians, African Americans, Latino/Hispanic Americans, Arab Americans, and Asian Americans
• Helps prepare students in Journalism and Mass Communication programs to work in diverse teams
• Covers the theoretical foundations of research in mass media representations, including social comparison theory and feminist theory
• Contains a wealth of real-world examples illustrating the concepts and perspectives discussed in each chapter
• Includes access to an instructor's website with a test bank, viewing list, exercises, sample syllabi, and other useful pedagogical tools

Diversity in U.S. Mass Media, Third Edition, remains an ideal textbook for upper-level undergraduate and graduate courses in Media Communication, Film and Television Studies, Journalism, American Studies, Entertainment and Media Research, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).