Poverty As We Know ItMedia Portrayals Of The Poor

Stephanie R. , Fall 2014

Introduction• Authors: Rosalee A. Clawson & Rakuya

Trice• Published in The Public Opinion

Quarterly, 2000• In this study, the researchers test the

hypothesis that the media portray poor people inaccurately and stereotypically.

Misleading portrayal

• Gilens (1996) found that poverty was portrayed as a “black” problem.

• Media would lead the audience to believe that 2 out or every 3 poor people are black.

• In reality, Blacks make up less than one-third of the poor.

Stereotypes

• “Citizens say people are poor due to their own “lack of effort” (Kluegel and Smith 1986).

• A majority of Americans believe that “most people who receive welfare benefits are taking advantage of the system” (Ladd 1993).

• People also believe that poor families are much larger than middle-class families (Sidel 1996).

Stereotypes Cont.

• The media perpetuate stereotypes of the poor as lazy, sexually irresponsible, and criminally deviant (Parisi 1998).

• Coughlin (1989) discussed the media’s emphasis on “welfare queens”- a phrase that invokes images of poor women living high life and taking advantage of the welfare system.

Why is it important?

• In this study, researchers analyzed whether stereotypical traits of the poor are presented in magazine photographs.

• The visual representation of a political issue is an integral part of the definition of that issue.

• Visual images define and illustrate particular issue frames.

• The pictures provide texture, drama, and detail, and they illustrate the implicit, the latent, the “taken for granted” and the “goes without saying”.

Research Design

• Data was collected by examining stories published in magazines about poverty, welfare, and the poor between January 1, 1993 and December 31, 1998.

• Researchers looked for size and race of families in the pictures, demographic characteristics such as ethnicity, age work status, criminal behavior, use of drugs, alcohol or cigarettes.

Research Findings

• African Americans make up 27% of the poor. • Five magazines would lead citizens to believe

that blacks are 49% of the poor. • Whites make up 45% of the poor, but they are

portrayed only 33% of the poor. • No portrayal of Asian Americans and Hispanics

were underrepresented by 5%. • It is clear that news magazines continue to

race code the issue of poverty.

Research Findings

• In stories related to welfare reform, pregnancy, public housing and welfare dependency, there was a 63% portrayal of Blacks in contrast to 19% of Whites. More over, Hispanics were 18%.

Research Findings

• 76% of the magazine poor are women

• In reality, 62% of the adult poor are women.

• 30% of poor adults were show working or in job training programs

• In reality, 50% of the poor work full- or part-time jobs.

Conclusion• The portrayals of poverty are important because they

have an impact on public opinion. • Blacks were disproportionately portrayed among

magazine portrayals of the poor between 1993 and 1998.

• The images of poor people in the news magazines do not capture the reality of poverty.

• The news magazines provided a stereotypical and inaccurate picture of poverty which results in negative beliefs about the poor, antipathy toward black, and a lack of support for welfare programs.

Reference

• Clawson, R. &. (2000). Poverty as We Know It: Media Portrayals of the Poor. The Public Opinion Quarterly , 53-64.