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).

Catherine Luther is Director of the Information Integrity Institute and Minnie Doty Goddard Distinguished Professor in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Tennessee. She has published in numerous journals such as the Journal of International Communication and Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly.

Naeemah Clark is a Professor of Cinema & TV Arts at Elon University, currently serving as Associate Provost focusing on equity, inclusion, and belonging in teaching, pedagogy, recruitment, and retention. She has published in the Huffington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and has presented two TedTalks related to media representations.

Carolyn Ringer Lepre is President of Salisbury University. She is former Dean of the School of Communication Arts at Marist College. Previously, she served as interim President, Provost, and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Radford University She has written numerous book chapters, encyclopedia entries, and journal articles on media and representation.