Racial Differences in Evaluations of the Mass Media

Abstract

Analysis of two national data sets reveals that African-Americans in general know less about how the mass media operate, see fewer outside influences on the media, see themselves as having less influence on the media and are less cynical about the media than are whites. African-Americans who have the most contact with the dominant white society do evaluate the media as being more biased, compared with those with less contact with white people. Blacks and whites alike judged the news media to be influenced by advertisers, big business, unions and to be influenced by the two major political parties. If many news media are part of large corporations, this fact has not gone unnoticed by audiences, fairly or not.