Beyond Black and White: An Analysis of Newspaper Representations of Alleged Criminal Offenders Based on Race and Ethnicity

• Author: Lisa A. Melander,Alayna Colburn
• Date: 01 November 2018
• DOI: 10.1177/1043986218787730
• Published date: 01 November 2018
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986218787730

Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice

2018, Vol. 34(4) 383 –398

© The Author(s) 2018

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DOI: 10.1177/1043986218787730

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Article

Beyond Black and White:

An Analysis of Newspaper

Representations of Alleged

Criminal Offenders Based

on Race and Ethnicity

Alayna Colburn1 and Lisa A. Melander1

Abstract

Media has a substantial role in providing knowledge about crime to the public;

however, many representations of crime and criminality perpetuate damaging racial

stereotypes. The purpose of this study is to identify how minorities are portrayed

in print media as compared to their White counterparts. The study includes an

ethnographic content analysis of newspaper crime stories and accompanying images

from widely circulated newspapers published between August 1, 2014, and October

31, 2014. Findings reveal minorities are not only overrepresented in crime story

images, but closer examination uncovers nuanced differences in the type and quality

of pictures by race and ethnicity.

Keywords

mugshots, media representations, newspaper analysis, race, ethnicity

In March 2015, two separate but similar stories were written in a local Iowa newspaper

highlighting crimes that had taken place in the community (Herminston, 2015a,

2015b). The culprits in both events were groups of three men arrested for local bur-

glaries. The only difference between the suspects was their race and the way they were

pictorially represented in the newspaper. The group of White male suspects were fea-

tured with professional yearbook photos, whereas the minority alleged burglars had

1Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

Corresponding Author:

Alayna Colburn, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, Kansas State University, 251

Waters Hall, Manhattan, KS 66502, USA.

Email: arfahrny@ksu.edu

787730CCJXXX10.1177/1043986218787730Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticeColburn and Melander

research-article2018

384 Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 34(4)

their mugshots displayed across the page. This differential treatment led some to ques-

tion the motivation and actions of news media when selecting pictorial representations

accompanying crime stories (Siede, 2015).

Although minorities are overrepresented in arrest records compared to the propor-

tion of the population, most people arrested are White (Federal Bureau of Investigation

[FBI], 2014). Accordingly, it would be expected that there would be more media cov-

erage of White alleged offenders. A substantial body of work reveals that media repre-

sentations of ethnic minority groups are more favorable than the past (Tukachinski,

Mastro, & Yarchi, 2015); however, certain minority groups continue to be either

grossly overrepresented or depicted unsympathetically in stories about criminal activi-

ties (St. John & Heald-Moore, 1996; Tukachinski et al., 2015). Viewing these inaccu-

rate and stereotypical portrayals may impact audience members’ perceptions of

minorities (Gilliam & Iyengar, 2000) as there is a connection between media coverage

and its influence on racial/ethnic and crime-related judgments and beliefs (Castaneda,

Fuentes-Bautista, & Baruch, 2015; Henry & Tator, 2005). The quality and type of

pictorial representations of alleged offenders in crime stories may sway viewers’ opin-

ions regarding these illicit activities. As a result, the purpose of this study is to identify

how racial and ethnic minorities are portrayed in crime stories compared to their White

counterparts by completing a systematic exploration of pictorial representations in

print media. This study has implications for research on racial and ethnic stereotypes,

potential juror perceptions of alleged offenders, and print media.

Literature Review

Crime in the News

Although America is transitioning to a digital world where having the latest technol-

ogy is a sign of affluence and sophistication, receiving local and world news from a

newspaper is still a common practice. Crime stories are an intrinsic component of

modern media, accounting for up to 50% of news coverage (Chermak, 1995; Surette,

1992; Tukachinski, 2015). Much of what society knows about crime comes directly

from the media (Pickett, Mancini, Mears, & Gertz, 2015; Pollak & Kubrin, 2007), and

reporters craft stories in a manner to sway public opinion (Chermak, 1994; Surette,

1992), potentially creating an unbalanced understanding of crime.

Because citizens often lack any direct experience with the criminal justice system,

they rely on the mass media as a primary source of information about crime and its

control (Callanan, 2012; Hough & Roberts, 2005; Kort-Butler & Hartshorn, 2011).

Crime is overrepresented in the news (Chermak & Chapman, 2007), and newsworthy

stories tend to be violent and sensationalized (Cherbonneau & Copes, 2003), playing

on the fears of media consumers and distorting their perceptions of crime and crimi-

nality (Dowler, Fleming, & Muzzatti, 2006). Crime stories selected for publication

may also provide support for stereotypical images of innocence and guilt regarding

minorities (Halloran, 1978; Tukachinski, 2015) and may guide viewers’ perceptions

on a person’s culpability in criminal situations, which may vary by race. Because