TELEVISION VIEWING HAS BEEN LINKED WITH STEREOTYPED ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS. Some which have been studied include gender, minorities, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Although evidence that connects viewing with the formation of attitudes towards these groups appears persuasive the main flaw in the investigations is the intervening variable of other social effects. Within this limitation, the following attitudinal correlations appear to have intuitive integrity.

Mass media can play a powerful role in projecting characteristics of a particular group. Viewers with the least exposure to individual members of that group are the most vulnerable to these images.

Conversely, programming that positively portrays members of a particular group appears to succeed with the same viewing population.

For instance, African-Americans are often pictured in handcuffs in TV crime coverage.


But thousands of African-Americans are active community volunteers.

We use them because we believe they are:

Universally acknowledged
An easy way to connect with the viewer

An actual part of history 

Not to be taken too seriously 



Equal rights means chaos. 

She's inept and feeble.

The Census Bureau estimates that the Hispanic population will overtake African Americans by the year 2006 as the nation's largest minority. A balanced portrayal of this group's image is imperative.



The Stereotype - Elderly Female
The Invisible Reality


Older men are usually depicted with younger women, and women typically appear without male partners. All elderly are commonly pictured as inept, feeble and foolish.



The over-50 group holds 50% of all discretionary income and 75% of all financial assets.



The Stereotype - Native American

The Invisible Reality




Freeing Audiences from black and white illusions can move all of us towards vision and truth.

Jan Scherer
Graduate Student
Educ. Technology 561
May 22, 1997