Study: Media Coverage Fuels Perceptions of Latinos as Uneducated, Unpatriotic, Undocumented

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

September 13, 2012

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/2012/09/study-media-coverage-fuels-perceptions-of-latinos-as-uneducated-unpatriotic-undocumented/

Uneducated, unpatriotic illegal aliens. That’s the message many Americans are getting from the media about who Latinos are, according to a study by the National Hispanic Media Coalition released Wednesday.

A national survey of 3,000 non-Latinos found negative perceptions through the media increase negative stereotypes of Latinos. The survey was funded through grants and funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

When shown negative portrayals of Latinos, like a scene from a gang party in “Training Day,” 10 percent more respondents classified Latinos as “less educated” than those shown a clip of Jimmy Smits run for president in “West Wing.”

During a press conference Wednesday, Alex Nogales, president and CEO of the NHMC, said terms such as “illegal alien” compared to “undocumented immigrant,” also can skew readers’ opinions and create an unfairly negative perception of Latinos.

Actors like Michael Peña, who costarred with Jake Gyllenhaal as an L.A. cop in soon to be released “End of Watch,” are breaking the media stereotype of Latinos portrayed as criminals. About 70 percent of those surveyed said they see Latinos acting as criminals on television and in movies.

“Ten years ago it would have uphill battle to a part in a film like this,” Peña said during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute panel Wednesday. “Now is a great time for Latinos in media.”

But skewed media portrayals still are an issue, especially for Americans whose only exposure to the culture is through mainstream radio, television or newspaper articles, said Matt Barreto, a national pollster who tracks Latino voters and producer of the survey, during the NHMC press conference.

Even if some media outlets try to be fair, others are spoiling it for the rest of them, Barreto said.

“There could be additional positive images of Latinos of there,” Barreto said. “But if they’re on stations nobody is watching or if they’re on radio stations that nobody’s listening to, it doesn’t matter. The big popular media stations control a lot of the messaging.”

Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz., conceded there are Latino criminals and crook Latino politicians, but that coverage needs to be balanced with stories of Hispanic perseverance.

“It’s not about hiding the reality in the Latino community,” Grijalva said. “It’s about giving a full picture.”