The mass media and the dynamics of American racial attitudes / Paul M. Kellstedt.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kellstedt, Paul M., 1968-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mass media and race relations--United States.

Mass media and race relations.

United States.

Physical Description:

xvi, 155 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Summary:

Paul M. Kellstedt explains the variation in Americans' racial attitudes over the last half-century, particularly the relationship between media coverage of and American public opinion on race. The analyses reveal that racial policy preferences have evolved in an interesting and unpredicted (if not unpredictable) fashion over the past fifty years. There have been sustained periods of liberalism, where the public prefers an active government to bring about racial equality, but these periods have invariably been followed by eras of conservatism. where the public wants the government to stay out of racial politics altogether. These opinions respond to cues presented in the national media. Kellstedt then goes on to examine the relationship between attitudes on the two major issues of the twentieth century: race and the welfare state. Although formerly distinct in the public mind, during the mid-1960s, race was "fused onto" the cluster of welfare-state issues. Since then, the over-time fluctuations of these two series have been indistinguishable. Moreover, the shift in the relationship is a function of media coverage of the issues of race and poverty.

Contents:

1 Toward a Dynamic Perspective on Racial Attitudes 1

2 Eras of Media Coverage of Race 13

3 Eras of Racial Liberalism and Conservatism 55

4 Media Framing and the Dynamics of Racial Policy Preferences 83

5 The Fusion of Race and the Welfare State in the Public Mind 106

6 A New American Dilemma for a New Millennium? 130.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 147-152) and index.

ISBN:

0521821711

0521529158

OCLC:

51210359

Online:

Publisher description