In a pair of recently published studies, communication professor Travis Dixon found that the more people watched either local or network news, the more likely they were to draw on negative stereotypes about blacks
Significantly, the effect was independent of viewers’ existing racial attitudes, Dixon said. “We’ve shown that just watching the news – just news consumption alone – has an impact on one’s stereotypical conceptions,” he said.
In other words, even among those who may think of themselves as largely prejudice-free, those who watch more local or network news are prone to more often see blacks as intimidating, violent or poor, Dixon said.
Through much local television news, “we keep seeing these black perpetrators all the time, so that becomes more accessible and not other conceptions,” Dixon said. As a result, any black male is more likely to be seen as potentially violent or a criminal, he said.
What did surprise Dixon, however, was seeing that network news broadcasts, not heavy on crime coverage, had a similar effect on viewers and their tendency to “access” stereotypes. The findings, which he found “disconcerting,” contradicted his assumption that those who stayed well-informed through network news would be less prejudiced and hold fewer stereotypes of blacks.