Minorities See Improvement, Demand More Diversity on U.S. Television by Voice of America on 02.01.15 Word Count 532 Level MAX

Minorities see improvement, demand more diversity on U.S. television By Voice of America on 02.01.15 Word Count 532 Level MAX

ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat” stars Randall Park as Louis Huang, Forrest Wheeler as Emery Huang, Constance Wu as Jessica Huang, Hudson Yang as Eddie Huang and Ian Chen as Evan Huang. The show serves as one example of a show with a diverse cast. Photo by: ABC/Bob D’Amico

For the past six years, minority groups have monitored their portrayal on U.S. television, and demanded that the networks show the full diversity of American life. Media watchdog groups say the networks are making progress, but see room for improvement both on-screen and behind the camera.

Alex Nogales, president of the National Hispanic Media Coalition, says the issue is partly about jobs, both for actors in front of the camera and for writers, directors and producers behind it. He says Latinos like him are more visible on television that they were six years ago, but are still underrepresented, especially in behind-the-scenes executive positions.

"Who else is going to tell our stories? Who else is going to say this is how we are, this is who we are, this is what we are worth? Who else is going to do it, if not us? Other people will try, and they'll get it half right," he said.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. And they will get it half wrong, he added.

For minority groups, Nogales says television provides visibility. He says successful Latinos today may be judges, doctors or other professionals. But, he said, that is seldom seen.

"If you are absent from television, you are absent from the view of the America public," he said. "And how we are perceived is how we will be treated. So if you don't see us, and the only time that you see us is in a one-dimensional fashion, and it is a negative stereotype, you're going to be treated that way."

The advocacy groups cite ABC - the American Broadcasting Company - as a leader in promoting diversity on the air. They say several of the network's shows, including "Commander-in-Chief," which is about a woman U.S. president, have Asian-American writers, producers and directors.

Karen Narasaki of the Asian Pacific American Media Coalition says that infusion of talent is helping the network.

ABC is also the only network with two Hispanic-themed programs, "The George Lopez Show" and "Freddie." But the groups say all of the networks have a long way to go in portraying a diverse America.

The ethnic groups rated four major networks in an annual Diversity Report Card, and they say that on network television, Native Americans are the most poorly represented of all groups.

Mark Reed is a Native American actor who traces his ancestry to the Mohawk and Apache tribes. He says when producers depict his people, they often try to do it in a positive way, but end up offering unrealistic portrayals.

"Fictional representations is what we get now of our cultural past," he said. "They have little regard to true accuracy of our culture. They'll put together something based on their image, their idea, their concept. It's not necessarily the image of the tribes that exist in the United States."

He says there are at least 600 tribes in the United States, each with its distinctive characteristics.

Alex Nogales says Latinos alone make up 14 percent of the U.S. population and have purchasing power of $700 billion a year. He says their underrepresentation in network television is shortsighted, and that the networks would be wise to target this market segment in their programs and their advertising.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 According to the article, more shows featuring minority groups could provide potential benefits for networks.

Which paragraph from the last six paragraphs of the article BEST supports the statement above?

(A) The advocacy groups cite ABC - the American Broadcasting Company - as a leader in promoting diversity on the air. They say several of the network's shows, including "Commander-in-Chief," which is about a woman U.S. president, have Asian-American writers, producers and directors.

(B) ABC is also the only network with two Hispanic-themed programs, "The George Lopez Show" and "Freddie." But the groups say all of the networks have a long way to go in portraying a diverse America.

(C) "Fictional representations is what we get now of our cultural past," he said. "They have little regard to true accuracy of our culture. They'll put together something based on their image, their idea, their concept. It's not necessarily the image of the tribes that exist in the United States."

(D) Alex Nogales says Latinos alone make up 14 percent of the U.S. population and have purchasing power of $700 billion a year. He says their underrepresentation in network television is shortsighted, and that the networks would be wise to target this market segment in their programs and their advertising.

2 All four sentences from the article given below help to make the claim that networks portray minority groups inaccurately.

Which of the following is the MOST SPECIFIC piece of evidence to support the claim?

(A) Media watchdog groups say the networks are making progress, but see room for improvement both on- screen and behind the camera.

(B) "Other people will try, and they'll get it half right," he said.

(D) "Fictional representations is what we get now of our cultural past," he said.

3 The CENTRAL idea of the article is developed by...

(A) highlighting that networks are improving their representation of minority groups, but also pointing out why networks have more work to do in promoting diversity

(B) discussing the specific demands made by minority groups to networks, and explaining how some networks have satisfied those demands

(C) emphasizing that minority underrepresentation is the main problem with network programs, while quoting media watchdog leaders who are trying to monitor more of these programs

(D) suggesting that the general American public is embracing new programs about diversity, and describing the content of specific Hispanic-themed and Native American-themed shows

4 Which of the following details is MOST important to the development of the MAIN idea?

(A) There are at least 600 Native American tribes in the United States.

(B) Latinos have purchasing power of $700 billion a year.

(D) Latinos can be successful judges, doctors and other professionals.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5 Read the following sentence from paragraph 11 of the article.

He says when producers depict his people, they often try to do it in a positive way, but end up offering unrealistic portrayals.

All of the following phrases from the paragraphs that follow provide context clues to the meaning of "unrealistic portrayals" EXCEPT:

(A) fictional representations

(B) little regard to true accuracy

(D) each with its distinctive characteristics

6 Read the sentence from paragraph 2 of the article.

He says Latinos like him are more visible on television that they were six years ago, but are still underrepresented, especially in behind-the-scenes executive positions.

The author uses the word "underrepresented" to mean...

(A) Latinos are still being stereotyped in network television programs.

(B) There are still not that many Latinos working in the television industry.

(D) Latinos appear behind the scenes more than they appear on screen.

7 The author appeals to the reader's sense of morality by...

(A) suggesting that more involvement is needed in media watchdog groups and advocacy groups

(B) emphasizing the amount of money networks stand to gain from portraying a more diverse America

(D) highlighting that television networks have good intentions when portraying minority groups

8 Alex Nogales is concerned about all of the following EXCEPT:

(A) the overrepresentation of Latinos as stereotyped television characters

(B) the overrepresentation of other non-Latino minority groups in television

(D) the underrepresentation of Latinos in behind-the-scenes television positions

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Answer Key