Have you ever felt like the news and TV programs are reinforcing racist stereotypes? Have you ever seen a drug dealer or a thief on television and known they were a bad guy before they did anything illegal? 

Dr. Travis Dixon's work reveals the statistical cause of that feeling. The news, television and movies are indeed misrepresenting the facts about crime and criminal justice, showing us far more images of criminality which align with our preconceived notions of what a criminal looks like, and in the process, reinforcing stereotypes about people of color, men, and black folks. 

The end result is that people who watch more news tend to be more afraid that a crime will occur, more convinced that the perpetrator will be a non-white person, and less likely to feel that the offender is capable of redemption. The media are indeed "Teaching us to Love Fear." 

Support the show