SEPTEMBER 2012 THE POWER OF MEDIA TO BREED HATE, IMPACT HEALTH AND SHAPE OPINIONS AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT An Executive Summary of Three Academic Studies and a National Poll From the National Hispanic Media Coalition The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) has released a series of academic studies and a national poll detailing the role of the media in breeding hate and shaping public opinion about Latinos and other groups. Key findings suggest that: HATE SPEECH IS PERVASIVE IN U.S. MEDIA. 1 Hate speech on commercial talk radio has helped cultivate a social network around the hosts and their guests. This social network spreads content across affiliated social media web sites. The result is an echo-chamber of voices, both online and off, that promotes hatred toward people of color, people of certain religions and LGBT people. Media personalities and political figures representing the Republican Party and/or affiliated with the Tea Party dominate the social network, leaving little room for alternate points of view. Media powerhouses such as Premiere Radio Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, and Fox News are key components of this social network. CSRC WORKING PAPER NOVEMBER 2011 AN OCCASIONAL SERIES AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544 Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Production: Bill Morosi This series is a project of the CSRC Latino Research Program, which receives funding from the University of California Committee on Latino Research. MISSION STATEMENT The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers, and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies. QUANTIFYING HATE SPEECH ON COMMERCIAL TALK RADIO A PILOT STUDY CHON A. NORIEGA AND FRANCISCO JAVIER IRIBARREN SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR HATE SPEECH COMMERCIAL TALK RADIO AND NEW MEDIA CHON A. NORIEGA AND FRANCISCO JAVIER IRIBARREN WITH ROSS LENIHAN, ANDREW YOUNG, AND HÉCTOR PEÑA RAMÍREZ CSRC WORKING PAPER JULY 2012 AN OCCASIONAL SERIES AVAILABLE IN ELECTRONIC FORMAT FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544 Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Developmental Editor: Rebecca Epstein • Production: William Morosi MISSION STATEMENT The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers, and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies. BIG MEDIA CORPORATIONS PERPETUATE HATE THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS. 2
Transcript
SEPTEMBER 2 0 1 2
THE POWER OF MEDIA TO BREED HATE, IMPACT HEALTH AND SHAPE OPINIONS
AND WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT
An Executive Summar y of Three Academic Studies and a National Poll
From the National Hispanic Media Coalition
The National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) has released a series of academic studies and a national poll detailing the role of the media in breeding hate and shaping public opinion about Latinos and other groups. Key findings suggest that:
HATE SPEECH IS PERVASIVE IN U.S. MEDIA.1
Hate speech on commercial talk radio has helped cultivate a social network around the hosts and their guests. This social network spreads content across affiliated social media web sites. The result is an echo-chamber of voices, both online and off, that promotes hatred toward people of color, people of certain religions and LGBT people. Media personalities and political figures representing the Republican Party and/or affiliated with the Tea Party dominate the social network, leaving little room for alternate points of view. Media powerhouses such as Premiere Radio Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, and Fox News are key components of this social network.
QUANTIFYING HATE SPEECH ON COMMERCIAL TALK RADIO
A PILOT STUDY
C H O N A . N O R I E G A
A N D
F R A N C I S C O J A V I E R I R I B A R R E N
C S R C W O R K I N G P A P E RN O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1
A N O C C A S I O N A L S E R I E S A V A I L A B L E I N E L E C T R O N I C F O R M A T
FO R MO R E I NFO R MAT I O N , CO NTAC T:
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu
Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Production: Bill Morosi This series is a project of the CSRC Latino Research Program, which receives funding from
the University of California Committee on Latino Research.
MI S S I O N S TATE ME NT
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers,
and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
QUANTIFYING HATE SPEECH ON COMMERCIAL TALK RADIO
A PILOT STUDY
C H O N A . N O R I E G A
A N D
F R A N C I S C O J A V I E R I R I B A R R E N
C S R C W O R K I N G P A P E RN O V E M B E R 2 0 1 1
A N O C C A S I O N A L S E R I E S A V A I L A B L E I N E L E C T R O N I C F O R M A T
FOR MORE INFORMAT ION , CONTACT:
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu
Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Production: Bill Morosi This series is a project of the CSRC Latino Research Program, which receives funding from
the University of California Committee on Latino Research.
MISS ION S TATEMENT
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers,
and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR HATE SPEECHCOMMERCIAL TALK RADIO AND NEW MEDIA
C H O N A . N O R I E G A A N D F R A N C I S C O J A V I E R I R I B A R R E N
W I T H R O S S L E N I H A N , A N D R E W Y O U N G , A N D H É C T O R P E Ñ A R A M Í R E Z
C S R C W O R K I N G P A P E RJ U L Y 2 0 1 2
A N O C C A S I O N A L S E R I E S A V A I L A B L E I N E L E C T R O N I C F O R M A T
FOR MORE INFORMAT ION , CONTACT:
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu
Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Developmental Editor: Rebecca Epstein • Production: William Morosi
MISS ION S TATEMENT
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers, and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
BIG MEDIA CORPORATIONS PERPETUATE HATE THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKS.
2
NHMC - National Hispanic Media CoalitionThe Power of Media to Breed Hate, Impact Health and Shape Opinions
HATE IS HARMFUL TO OUR HEALTH.3
Listeners subjected to hate speech experienced a spike in the production of a hormone that could, over time, have a significant negative impact on listeners’ health, potentially influencing the onset of pathophysiological processes or diseases such as cancer or chronic inflammatory diseases. It seems this effect occurs regardless of listeners’ race, ethnicity, nativity, or ideological alignment with the speaker.
THE MEDIA IS HUGELY INFLUENTIAL IN SHAPING OPINIONS ABOUT LATINOS AND OTHERS.4 A poll of non-Latino Americans found that they still rely heavily on TV news for their information: 66% watch major network and cable newscasts for their information and only 30% trust Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks or online-only news sources. News and entertainment media strongly influence non-Latinos’ perceptions about Latinos and immigrants. Media portrayals of Latinos and immigrants can diminish or exacerbate stereotypically negative opinions about them.
• People exposed to negative entertainment or news narratives about Latinos and/or immigrants hold the most unfavorable and hostile views about both groups.
• Negative portrayals of Latinos and immigrants are pervasive in news and entertainment media. Consequently, non-Latinos commonly believe that many media-promoted negative stereotypes about these groups are true.
• Conservative talk radio and Fox News audiences are less likely to be personally familiar with Latinos yet more likely to hold anti-immigrant and anti-Latino views. Without direct experience with Latinos, media takes on a larger role in establishing these opinions and attitudes.
• Even those most disposed to positive opinions about Latinos have less favorable opinions when exposed to negative entertainment or news narratives.
• There is a common misperception that Latinos and undocumented immigrants are one in the same, and 17% of survey respondents actually believe that the majority of U.S. Latinos are undocumented.
• In discussing those in this country without documentation, the term “illegal aliens” elicits much more negatives feelings than the term “undocumented immigrants.”
• After viewing just one minute of media content, people change the way they view Latinos. For example, when asked about Latinos’ intelligence, those who consumed negative news and entertainment pieces were much more likely to rate Latinos as unintelligent, while those who consumed positive pieces were much more likely to rate Latinos as intelligent. This is only one example of many from the poll that demonstrate that media content influences peoples’ opinions about Latinos.
USING BIOLOGICAL MARKERS TO
MEASURE STRESS IN LISTENERS
OF COMMERCIAL TALK RADIOH E R M E S J . G A R B Á N , F R A N C I S C O J A V I E R I R I B A R R E N ,
A N D C H O N A . N O R I E G A
W I T H N I C H O L A S B A R R A N D W E I D O N G Z H U
C S R C W O R K I N G P A P E RN O . 3 A U G U S T 2 0 1 2
A N O C C A S I O N A L S E R I E S A V A I L A B L E I N E L E C T R O N I C F O R M A T
FOR MORE INFORMAT ION , CONTACT:
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu
Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Production: Bill Morosi
MISS ION S TATEMENT
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers,
and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
USING BIOLOGICAL MARKERS TO
MEASURE STRESS IN LISTENERS
OF COMMERCIAL TALK RADIOH E R M E S J . G A R B Á N , F R A N C I S C O J A V I E R I R I B A R R E N ,
A N D C H O N A . N O R I E G A
W I T H N I C H O L A S B A R R A N D W E I D O N G Z H U
C S R C W O R K I N G P A P E RN O . 3 A U G U S T 2 0 1 2
A N O C C A S I O N A L S E R I E S A V A I L A B L E I N E L E C T R O N I C F O R M A T
FOR MORE INFORMAT ION , CONTACT:
UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center • 193 Haines Hall • Los Angeles, CA 90095-1544Phone: 310-825-2642 • Fax: 310-206-1784 • E-Mail: [email protected]
The center’s books and journals are sold at www.store.chicano.ucla.edu
Editor: Chon A. Noriega • Senior Editor: Rebecca Frazier • Production: Bill Morosi
MISS ION S TATEMENT
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research on issues critical to the Chicano community. The center’s press disseminates books, working papers,
and the peer-reviewed Aztlán: A Journal of Chicano Studies.
Belief in Stereotypes about LatinosResults sorted by which Media respondent was shown
Source: NHMC/Latino Decisions online survey of 3000 Non-‐Hispanic adults, July 2012
Comparing Adjective-‐Pairs
47
38
43
40
55
40
49
40
2530354045505560
"Intelligent"Percent who agree
13
21
13
20
10
24
15
18
0 5 10 15 20 25
Print Positive
Print Negative
Radio Positive
Radio Negative
TV News Positive
TV News Negative
Entertainment Pos
Entertainment Neg
"Unintelligent"Percent who agree
BELIEF IN STEREOTYPES ABOUT LATINOSCOMPARING ADJECTIVE PAIRS – INTELLIGENCE
NHMC - National Hispanic Media CoalitionThe Power of Media to Breed Hate, Impact Health and Shape Opinions
NHMC was founded in 1986 to increase positive portrayals of Latinos in media, based on a fundamental understanding that the media has the power to shape opinions of and behavior towards Latinos and other demographic groups. This report summarizes key findings from extensive academic research and polling that scientifically confirms NHMC’s premise. Today NHMC continues to push for more positive portrayals of Latinos in media, and it also fights hate speech in media.
In 1993 the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (“NTIA”), the agency that serves as the President’s principal adviser on telecommunications and information policy, released “The Role of Telecommunications in Hate Crimes.”5 The NTIA defined hate speech as “words and images that manifest evidence of prejudice based on race, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnicity.” It identified two types of hate speech: (1) “speech that ‘advocates’ or ‘encourages’ violent acts or crimes of hate,” and (2) “speech that creates a climate of hate or prejudice, which may in turn foster the commission of hate crimes.”
In 2006, following the historic immigration reform marches around the nation, NHMC observed a
dramatic increase in anti-Latino hate speech in media. At the same time, FBI statistics revealed a measureable spike in anti-Latino hate crimes.
NHMC initiated a three-pronged strategy to counteract this anti-Latino, anti-immigrant rhetoric: 1) requesting government action to study the issue; 2) collecting and analyzing empirical data; and 3) establishing public education campaigns.
In 2009 NHMC filed a Petition for Inquiry6 with the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”), asking that the agency study the extent and nature of hate speech in media, examine the effects, including the relationship between hate speech in media and hate crimes, and explore options for counteracting or reducing the negative effects. NHMC also requested that the NTIA update its 1993 report. Nearly four years have passed since NHMC’s initial requests and neither agency has acted.
In the meantime, NHMC has commissioned three pilot studies from the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and a national poll from Latino Decisions. The first study, Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio, developed a sound, replicable methodology for
qualitative content analysis of hate speech in commercial broadcasting. It also revealed a significant incidence of hate speech by way of: (1) targeted statements; (2) unsubstantiated claims; (3) divisive language; and (4) indexical terms related to political nativism. The findings of the two other studies, Social Networks for Hate Speech and Using Biological Markers to Measure Stress in Listeners of Commercial Talk Radio, and the poll, The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos, are described above.
Finally, NHMC began participating in and leading public campaigns to educate advertisers about the hateful nature of many of the media programs on which they advertise.
• In 2009, NHMC helped lead the effort to remove the infamous Lou Dobbs from CNN.
• During NHMC’s campaign to remove John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou from KFI-AM for their repeated attacks on Latinos, Cuéntame collected over 16,000 supporting signatures, NHMC convinced over 40 advertisers to drop the duo, and NHMC and its allies successfully sought the pair’s removal from a Los Angeles television segment.
• This year NHMC and GLAAD forced TV show “José Luis Sin Censura” from the air by currying intense public outcry over the show’s hateful violence and derogatory slurs.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. The tide is turning against hate purveyors. Over 100 advertisers abandoned Rush Limbaugh after his attacks against women. Public advocacy targeting advertisers is making a difference!
BACKGROUND
NHMC - National Hispanic Media CoalitionThe Power of Media to Breed Hate, Impact Health and Shape Opinions
NOTES1. Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Working Paper (2011),
available at http://www.nhmc.org/reports; The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos, National Hispanic Media Coalition and Latino Decisions Poll (2012), available at http://www.nhmc.org/reports.
2. Social Networks for Hate Speech, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Working Paper (2012), available at http://www.nhmc.org/reports.
3. Using Biological Markers to Measure Stress in Listeners of Commercial Talk Radio, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center Working Paper (2012), available at http://www.nhmc.org/reports..
4. The Impact of Media Stereotypes on Opinions and Attitudes Towards Latinos, National Hispanic Media Coalition and Latino Decisions Poll (2012), available at http://www.nhmc.org/reports.
5. NTIA’s report is available at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/legacy/reports/1993/TelecomHateCrimes1993.pdf. 6. NHMC’s Petition for Inquir y is available at
http://www.nhmc.org/sites/default/files/Pet%20for%20Inquir y%20-%20Hate%20Speech.pdf. 7. For a description of these programs please visit NHMC’s web-site at www.nhmc.org.
MOVING FORWARD
55 SOUTH GRAND AVE.PASADENA, CA 91105OFFICE: (626) 792-6462EMAIL: [email protected]
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe National Hispanic Media Coalition thanks the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for its generous support which made this research possible, Dr. Chon A. Noriega, Director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, for his research and compilation of the studies, and Dr. Matt A. Barreto, Dr. Sylvia Manzano, and Dr. Gary Segura of Latino Decisions, for producing and designing the research study, and implementing the data collection.
For more on NHMC, please visit www.nhmc.org.
The research presented in this executive summary underscores the need for accuracy and fairness in our media – a monumental task considering its current state. NHMC will continue its programs to increase positive portrayals of Latinos in media7, and will continue to stand against hate speech in media. Based on efforts to date, NHMC knows that the key to stomping out hate speech is advertiser education. No advertiser wants to affiliate itself with hateful rhetoric, however, advertisers currently place
ads with little information on the content of the shows they are sponsoring. As NHMC mobilizes consumers to fight hate speech in media, those consumers are encouraging advertisers to stop supporting shows that traffic hate. NHMC will continue to discourage hate speech in media, and will offer rapid response support for communities to respond to media hate as appropriate and feasible. If you see or hear something hateful, contact NHMC so that it can help you hold your media accountable!
