the television mirror
	race: A study of youth aged 10 to 17 conducted by Children Now found that children feel it's important to see people like themselves on television because it tells other children that their race is important, and provides positive role models. But while most whites are associated with having lots of money, being well-educated, being a leader and being intelligent, minority characters are often associated with breaking the law, being lazy, being poor and acting goofy.
	We looked at the main characters on NBC's prime time lineup and compared the data with actual figures from the US Census site. It overwhelmingly shows that whites are overrepresented in television while minorities are underrepresented.
	gender: Our data also showed that television underrepresents women and overrepresents men. Women on television are often portrayed in the context of relationships and are seen dating more than men, while men are often portrayed in the context of careers and are are seen working more than women. sources: James Lull. Media, Communication, Culture. A Global Approach. John Fiske. Television Culture. Children Now. Reflections of Girls in the Media Children Now. A Different World: Children's Perceptions of Race and Class in the Media US Census population estimates. back