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The authors discuss the updated guidance of the "Journal of the American Medical Association" (JAMA) and JAMA Network journals on the reporting of race and ethnicity-related information in medical and science publications. Topics explored include the significance of proper use of terms when addressing race and ethnicity, the acknowledgment of controversies involving racism in medicine and disparities in health care, and the availability of the guidance on the JAMA website.

The article examines the implications of algorithmic audience modeling on the issues of race and media scholarship. Topics discussed include the reason behind the failure of algorithmic processing and prediction to consider race and ethnicity, threat posed by algorithm to African American television audiences, and elements of a research agenda capable of addressing the dangers posed by algorithmic audience data analysis such as proposing alternative algorithmic practices.

This article discusses the interpretation of television in relation to ethnic identity embraced by the female members of Javanese diaspora in Malaysia. The Javanese diaspora in this context refers to the descendants of the colonial Javanese migrants from Indonesia. In contemporary Malaysia, they are considered as Malays, but essentially they retain some cultural identifications of Javanese ethnicity, especially the language. As Malaysia becomes one of the destinations for Indonesian migrant labour and popular culture, the Javanese diaspora are certainly exposed to manifold images of their ethnic origin. Through the audience ethnography in a Javanese community of Selangor, this article reveals that the Malaysian Javanese women negotiate both representative and distant images of Javanese identity on television. Their interpretation of ethnic identity from television represents the notion of ‘interpretive ethnicity’. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article analyzes the image of Brazilian Indigenous minority groups as a figurehead in media discourse, which is based on racializing logics that celebrate historical performances of Indigeneity but minimize attention to the political activity and grassroots movements of the existing population. Using cultural studies as a starting point, this study draws on Diana Taylor's understanding of identity and on postcolonial thinker Homi Bhabha's theorizing on nation to conduct a reading of discourses and performances of Indigeneity as part of cultural memory. I propose an analysis of the limited scenarios allowed in this construction of a nation in Brazilian media outlets, which often claim there is political motivation for identity and are incapable of dealing with contemporary Indigenous groups. Overall, this analysis highlights the need to rethink the way we discuss ethnic identity so as to foster a larger dialogue about identity, heritage, and minority cultures in such a way that we avoid falling into a paradigm of modernization and acculturation when discussing ethnicity, and to promote better understanding of the different ongoing political and cultural movements in contemporary Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever widening gap in public discourse within a multicultural society is of concern. Among many factors, continuing and emerging practices of marginalization of ethnic minorities, ethnic media, and ethnic discourse in the media industries in Canada deserve attention. Parallel to the under-representation of ethnic minorities in mainstream media production and content, ethnic media organizations and the discourse they produce are equally under-represented in the media industries and public discourse. A recent new shift in this practice is the "instrumentalization of ethnic media"—that is, a strategic use of ethnic media as an instrument to serve the interests of stakeholders rather than of the general public. This commentary problematizes this new shift and calls for more research and policy attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate gendered and racial mediation in news coverage in the 2014 Toronto Mayoral Election. Drawing on a content analysis of a large sample of election stories in two major daily newspapers, we find significant differences across candidates in the prominence of coverage received and in the media's attention to candidates' racial and ethnic characteristics and immigrant status. In particular, we find that a non-White woman candidate (Olivia Chow) was significantly less prominent in media coverage and significantly more likely to be racialized than other candidates, despite being a wellestablished politician and the frontrunner in polling for a sizeable portion of the election period. These findings highlight, among other things, the significance of the intersection of race and gender in the study of electoral politics and political communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era when identity is a hybrid process, it is interesting to examine whether and how it is possible to glean the presence or absence of certain cultural groups from their representations in a given culture. To do so, I employ two key Gramscian concepts: common sense and good sense. Using three research reports (from 2003, 2005, and 2011) that employed content analysis techniques, this article assesses the visibility of various subgroups in Israeli TV programs and majority-minority power relations in a variety of genres on commercial channels in the prime-time slot. This article focuses on three aspects of identity: nationality, ethnicity, and gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers an assessment of media and their role in the ongoing political transition in Myanmar, and an overview of lessons learned from other countries undergoing transition. It demonstrates how media function in this process as active agents of stability, restraint, change, or all three, and assesses how Myanmar's experiences reinforce or challenge common assumptions about democratic transition. The discussion draws from interviews over many years with journalists, editors, advocacy groups, and policy makers and participant observation in media offices and at media-related events. The research examines the origins of the recent changes, the importance of history, the role of civil society--including ethnic and formerly exile media--and issues of political economy and media diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates discussions of race and poverty in newspaper opinion pieces during a period of welfare reform debates in the United States, 1994-2010. Results show that, often, the poor are identified as deserving of societal support, and outside entities (external causes) are identified as the source of their hardship. However, when the poor are identified by race, how contributors say poverty should be remedied shifts. When identified as African Americans, poor individuals are blamed for their poverty and solutions obviate structural explanations. Our research advances dialogue around the racialization of poverty and creates an opportunity to understand the relationship between public discussions of race and poverty and shifts in policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a review of the research record on the potential for media literacy education to intervene in the media's influence on racial and ethnic stereotypes, and explores the theoretical concepts that underlie these efforts. It situates media literacy theory and practice within particular emphases in the field and synthesizes qualitative and quantitative studies. Quantitative research on the effect of media literacy training and mediated counterstereotypes on reducing racial/ethnic prejudice is described. In addition, we report qualitative data from an ongoing study of early adolescents who took part in a media literacy curriculum on stereotypes. The research record reveals that although the topic is severely understudied, media literacy education holds great promise for its ability to shape media-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors and encourage an active and critical stance toward media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue illuminates the ways in which media portrayals and practices, together, create barriers to inclusion for diverse groups and normalize existing patterns of relegation on and off the screen. Media representations of race and ethnicity have critical consequences for intergroup relationships and for marginalized group members' self-concept. A synthesis of the research included in this volume demonstrates the significance of these questions across media outlets, their relevancy despite the rise of new technologies, and their application to social contexts outside the United States. Finally, this concluding article suggests directions for future research and offers implications for policies that can foster prosocial outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers are increasingly recognizing anime and manga as worthy of scholarly examination. However, relatively little research examines how fans synthesize the cultural content of anime. This paper provides an analysis of representations of race/ethnicity and gender in two televised anime, and contrasts the understandings of scholars to fans. As anime can weave together images from Japanese culture, other cultures, as well as fantasy, anime presents many faces to fans. Fans do not necessarily see all of these faces at once, and they interpret the cultural content of anime differently. As a result, anime has the potential to generate different types of cultural influence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article presents a dual critique of the film "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle," directed by and the television series "Weeds," examining their depiction of American racial minorities and engaging in tropes of multi-ethnic humor. Details are given comparing how both works share typical American humor devices, such as exaggerated stereotypes and self-depreciation. Attention is then given to how the works depict characters who question their stereotypical ethnic identities.

This paper is a case study of one Vibe magazine cover. The examination of this cover, which depicts multiplatinum girl band TLC, serves to provide an analytical framework that posits Vibe magazine as a vehicle for disrupting mainstream press visual narratives about African Americans in general and black youth in particular. However, this oppositional reading requires an analysis of not just the cultural artifact, but also a discussion of audience reception as well as the intentions of the media makers. While some have argued that one cannot battle stereotypes from within mainstream media these media makers were able to circulate new ideas and images. Vibe reproduced patriarchal imagery of African American women, yet conversations with media makers indicate a conscious desire to disrupt such images. For this discussion, I draw on my larger analysis of early Vibe magazine covers as well as interviews with Vibe's founders and current media workers. Discussed here are motivations of the cover makers but also the cover image as a cultural artifact. One of the top fifty magazines in the U.S. in the 90's, Vibe helped to catapult hip-hop culture into the mainstream. The paper contextualizes Vibe within journalistic and political history, and critical race communication theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses issues of race and ethnicity with respect to a Cuban national identity, as they were depicted by the press during and after the Cuban Revolution, focusing primarily on the time period after 1959. The author notes that Cuba's President, Fidel Castro, publicly urged the eradication of racism in 1959 and later declared racism resolved in the nation of Cuba. The article goes on to cite Castro's admission in 2000 that race relations and definition of ethnic identity were still a problem in his country. The progress toward embracing cultural pluralism and varying ethnic groups and races in Cuba is documented through the early years of the 21st century, as is the role of newspapers such as "Diario de la Marina" in racial discourse.

This article discusses individuals with Romanian ethnic identity in the Balkans, such as Aromanians, Meglano-Romanians and North-Danubian Romanians. The intellectual elites of the community stressed the need for those within it to maintain their identity, even while living under the political influence of other cultures, such as the Ottoman Empire. The need for a safeguard of linguistic and cultural identity was expressed largely through academic articles, mass media publications, and political assembly.

A case study is presented on the impact of German and Swedish journalists' migrant backgrounds on their work. Discussion focuses on transcultural aspects of communication in the media workplace, the ethnic self-consciousness of journalists with migrant backgrounds, and varying perspectives on the attribution of failure or success to journalists' immediate or distant ethnicity. Further comments are made concerning the ways in which 21st-century mass media enables ethnic-related inequality.

Harker, assistant comment editor at The Guardian, argues that progress towards proper ethnic diversified staffs within the media - the press, especially - has been slow. The number of racial minorities in editing positions across all Fleet Street is tiny, he claims, and most of the main desks on the nationals - home, foreign, city, features, sports - are run by entirely white teams. Harker concludes: 'As newspapers face more and more intense competition, both in print and online, surely they can't afford to ignore Britain's growing minority population. The assumption that things can continue as they always have, with a wealthy well-connected elite handing down news from above, expecting their underlings to try to imitate them, just doesn't fit our 21st century profile. Ultimately, what surely we all want is for all sections of society to feel they are properly represented in the range, variety and balance of stories written about them... But how many newspaper organisations will genuinely commit themselves to reaching that goal?' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]