UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2015 Analyzing Television News: Pro-Social & Anti-Social Effects of Criminal Depictions & Information Processing on Race Perceptions Eunette Gentry University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the Broadcast and Video Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Sociology Commons Repository Citation Gentry, Eunette, "Analyzing Television News: Pro-Social & Anti-Social Effects of Criminal Depictions & Information Processing on Race Perceptions" (2015). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 2353. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/7645894 This Dissertation is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Dissertation in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/or on the work itself. This Dissertation has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ANALYZING TELEVISION NEWS: PRO-SOCIAL & ANTI-SOCIAL EFFECTS OF CRIMINAL DEPICTIONS & INFORMATION PROCESSING ON RACE PERCEPTIONS By Eunette Gentry Bachelor of Science in Mass Communications Jackson State University 1998 Master of Arts in Communication Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas 1999 A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy -- Sociology Department of Sociology College of Liberal Arts The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas May 2015 Copyright by Eunette Gentry, 2015 All Rights Reserved ABSTRACT Analyzing Television News: Pro-Social & Anti-Social Effects of Criminal Depictions & Information Processing on Race Perceptions By Eunette Gentry Dr. Robert E. Parker, Advisory Committee Chair Professor of Sociology University of Nevada, Las Vegas This quantitative research is a content analysis of network affiliate crime reporting statistics in Las Vegas. As part of this study, six months of news content in Las Vegas was recorded in order to gather pertinent sociological information about crime reporting techniques and its potential effects on public perceptions of crime and race. Pertinent issues such as media-image affect on viewers, biases within reporting information, and gatekeeping within the media are analyzed. This study adds substantive knowledge through empirical research to existing literature that asserts media depictions do shape and/or affect perceptions and attitudes about crime and race. Data sources consist of NBC, CBS, and ABC Las Vegas area newscasts. The results show there is a statistically significant relationship between the variables Suspect Image Shown and Race (among Hispanics and Blacks). This study has both local and national implications connected to ongoing top news story reports involving the killing of unarmed Black men – such as Michael Brown and Eric Garner – at the hands of police. Results of this analysis suggest its findings can be used to begat change in the manner in which journalists report details of crimes and alleged criminals. Suggestions for future research are also considered. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Dr. Robert Parker, my advisor and committee chair, for his staunch support, sage advice, and unyielding encouragement throughout my academic pursuits. I would also like to thank my committee members: Dr. Christie Batson, Dr. Andrew Spivak, and Dr. Lawrence Mullen for their commitment, guidance, and support. I also owe a debt of gratitude to, and would like to sincerely thank, everyone in the Department of Sociology who has taught, nurtured, and mentored me throughout my matriculation in the doctoral program. To my loving parents, I owe the very genesis of my pursuits in academia to you: Dr. Roosevelt Gentry and Mrs. Eula F. Gentry. Thank you for your never-ending support, guidance, and encouragement. I also thank God, for blessing me with daily fortitude and guidance throughout this research process; because, with Him all things are possible! iv DEDICATION My research is dedicated to the memories of Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Jordan Davis, D’Andre Berghardt, Jr., and all others who have struggled against perceptions of what a “criminal” looks like. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... iv DEDICATION .....................................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................1 Purpose of the Study .....................................................................................................19 Primary Research Question and Primary Hypothesis ...................................................19 Sociological and Historical Research Framework ........................................................20 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE ...............................................75 Empirical Research Framework ....................................................................................76 Media-Image Affect on Viewers ................................................................................203 Biases within Reporting Information ..........................................................................213 Gatekeeping ................................................................................................................237 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY ................................................................................252 Data Collection ...........................................................................................................252 Analysis.......................................................................................................................258 CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS .............................................................................................259 Statistical Analysis of Content Oriented Research Questions and Hypotheses ..........259 CHAPTER 5 SUMMARY AND IMPLICATIONS ....................................................286 Discussion of Results ..................................................................................................306 Suggestions for Future Research ................................................................................318 APPENDIX A POWERFUL WORDS ........................................................................323 APPENDIX B CODING INSTRUMENT 1 ................................................................324 APPENDIX C CODING INSTRUMENT 2 ................................................................325 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................326 CURRICULUM VITAE ..................................................................................................355 vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1 One-way Frequency Table of Network .........................................................262 Table 2 One-way Frequency Table of Crime Category ..............................................263 Table 3 One-way Frequency Table of Race ...............................................................264 Table 4 One-way Frequency Table of Suspect Image Shown ....................................265 Table 5 One-way Frequency Table of Type of Image ................................................266 Table 6 One-way Frequency Table of Notable Image ................................................267 Table 7 One-way Frequency Table of Mention of Previous Arrest(s) .......................268 Table 8 One-way Frequency Table of Days Race Aired ............................................269 Table 9 Results of the Wald χ2 test .............................................................................271 Table 10 Parameter Estimates and Odds Ratio .............................................................274 Table 11 Results of the Wald χ2 test including Image Type .........................................275 Table 12 Parameter Estimates and Odds Ratio with Notable Image ............................278 Table 13 Results of the Wald χ2 test with Mention of Previous Arrest(s) ....................279 Table 14 Parameter Estimates and Odds Ratio with Mention of Previous Arrest(s) ....282 Table 15 Results of the fourth Wald χ2 test ..................................................................283 Table 16 Fourth Parameter Estimates and Odds Ratio .................................................285 Table 17 One-way Frequency Table of Sex of Suspect ................................................315 vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Minorities and members of racialized ethnic groups are often depicted within the media as dangerous criminals and/or violent