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Ximena Perez

ENGL 1302- 228

Trisha Briones

February 8, 2024

Diversity in Media: An Annotated Bibliography

Borum Chattoo, Caty. “Oscars So White: Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Diversity and Social Issues

in U.S. Documentary Films (2008–2017).” Mass communication & society 21.3 (2018):

368–394. Web.

Borum delves into the social hierarchy that is sent in place for events like the Oscars.

These events being very exclusive and a rite of passage for most up and coming artists,

but one that has been met with criticism. Borum mentions one of the most recent racial

justice movements that has sparked controversy, #OscarsSoWhite. This wave of criticism

first arose after the Academy Awards rolled out nominations for the Best Entertainment

of 2014, all nominees were white. As Borum conveys in the article, constantly having

new films be fully directed by white male directors can be seen as problematic. Most

cannot convey the importance of social justice movements properly, but only as a form of

entertainment. Borum seeks to explain how new waves of social movements can be tied

into a “digital era” of humanity, how easy access to information can help bring up a

movement entirely from scratch.

Chung, Doug J., and Kay R. Koo. “The Role of Cultural Diversity in Creating Value: A Case

Study of South Korea’s Pop Band BTS.” Asia Pacific business review 29.5 (2023): 1275–

1299. Web.
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In this article Chung and Koo state that globalization is one of the largest tools to

expanding cultural diversity. One of the biggest outcomes of modern-day globalization is

the band Bangtan Sonyeondan, better known as BTS. A South Korean boyband who has

taken the internet by storm. From humble beginnings, the band shows the world that with

hard work and dedication it is possible to achieve one’s goals. Chung and Koo study how

BTS’s role in cultural diversity not only affects how modern globalization functions but

how it can play into society. BTS is known for affecting South Korea’s GDP, Gross

Domestic Product, generating the country billions annually. The boyband helps stimulate

financial growth while also contributing to the nation's creative youth, as they are role

models for generations to come. As cultural diversity reaches its peak, it not only

increases its economic value but also its consumer-market value.

Dixon, Travis L., and Cristina L. Azocar. “The Representation of Juvenile Offenders by Race on

Los Angeles Area Television News.” The Howard journal of communications 17.2

(2006): 143–161. Web

Authors Dixon and Azocar conducted a random sample analysis on a local Los Angeles

TV station, they sought out to record the representations of Black, Latino and White

juvenile criminals. Their research showed that the minority groups were actively

misrepresented as lawbreakers and criminals, while their white counterparts were

represented as simply perpetrators. Dixon and Azocar seek to reveal the disparities in

minority coverage and representation in media, starting with one of the most diverse

cities in the country Los Angeles. As they hope to break stereotypes, they reveal that

these misgivings often lead to harsh judgements in character which often affect

communities. But everything can be changed if given the same opportunities in media

coverage.
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Gupta, Amit. “Indian Is the New Black? The Rise of Indian-Americans on American

Television.” Round table (London) 105.1 (2016): 43–55. Web.

In this article Gupta seeks to show the growing Indian American characters have affected

the industries views on the acceptance of diverse characters. Gupta argues that the growth

of new ethnic characters and representation is in part to due to the growth of ethnic

communities and the need for representation. Gupta refers to the British Broadcasting’s

“Color Blind Rule” where the color of a character cannot affect the demand for an actor

to be a certain race or ethnicity, leaving the character’s race to be ambiguous and

undefined. As Indian American actors and characters grow in demand more opportunities

are given to up and coming actors while actively affecting the community positively.

Setting a building block for new racial groups to move into the American film industry

presenting a new standard in what American Media is.

Kawashima, Nobuko. “Are the Global Media and Entertainment Conglomerates Having an

Impact on Cultural Diversity? A Critical Assessment of the Argument in the Case of the

Film Industry.” International journal of cultural policy: CP 17.5 (2011): 475–489. Web.

In this article Kawashima questions if major global media has an impact on cultural

diversity. Kawashima ties the economic effect that conglomerates have on the film

industry, allowing them to dominate the field and take control of what can be represented.

Kawashima seeks to argue that the structure of the market directly affects how it will

perform. In the article it is explained the scholars who study the film and media industry,

specifically from a political economic perspective, say that there are a few major

conglomerates who run the industry globally. They tend to own television, radio stations

and social platforms used globally. Kawashima argues that with this type of power

creative liberties are often restricted which leads to underrepresentation of cultural

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diversity. There is a risk of marginalized communities being silenced or excluded in our

present-day media coverage, which impedes our freedom of expression.

King, Desmond. “Americans in the Dark? — Recent Hollywood Representations of the Nation’s

History.” Government and opposition (London) 38.2 (2003): 163–180. Web.

In this article King states that internationally America is often characterized as a

homogeneous country, setting an image of being an American when attributed to politic

and goods. American Homogeneity is often tied to its bustling film industry, many of the

A-listers shown and represented in the media are white which often leads to the

misconception that all Americans are white. Which is quite the opposite, America has

one of the highest ethnically diverse communities in the world, so why isn’t it reflected in

its media? King mentions multiple movies that battle cultural racial stereotypes tied to

American communities, such as Latino groups in Los Angeles as they are often

characterized as a drug dealer. America has the power to influence globalization and push

diversity.

Kiyomi, Kutsuzawa. “Disney’s Pocahontas: Reproduction of Gender, Orientalism, and the

Strategic Construction of Racial Harmony in the Disney Empire.” Asian Journal of

Women’s Studies 6.4 (2000): 39–65. Web.

In this article, Kutsuzawa seeks to research the cinematic diversity of Disney movies and

how the representation of “oriental” figures can often be misinterpreted or unjustly

represented in their film industry. Disney often has the power to affect globalization with

its products and films, which in turn greatly affects the economic state of the industry.

The representation of Asians in Disney films can often be shown as a caricature harmful

to its leading demographic, which is children. The authors introduce the first film that

Disney sought to introduce its new wave of diversity, Pocahontas, which premiered in
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1995. One of the first non-white subjects, or main characters, to have a storyline tied to

modern-day history. Most ethnic or colored characters were portrayed as background or

comedic relief symbols. The authors seek to dive deep into the term Orientalism and how

its role in media can be used as a political symbol. While the movie, Pocahontas, can be

shown as a financial move rather than toward global and cultural diversity.

Min, Seong-Jae, and John C. Feaster. “Missing Children in National News Coverage: Racial and

Gender Representations of Missing Children Cases.” Communication research reports

27.3 (2010): 207–216. Web.

Min’s research seeks to explore race and gender inequalities in missing person’s

coverage, specifically missing children’s cases on National Televison airing between

2005-2007. In Min’s research the inconsistencies found to affect African American

children and female children the most, as they were extremely underrepresented in

national coverage. Stating that the most valuable and irreplaceable component to finding

lost children is media coverage, Min seeks to reassess the imbalance of the national

missing child reports. Min argues that due to lack of diversity in the newsroom, strict

media ownership, commercial motives are the main factor of race and gender bias. All of

which factor into the censorship and suppression of minorities in broadcasting their

disappearances.

Parham-Payne, Wanda. “Hollywood’s Social Construction of Innocence: Entertainment Media’s

Deviant Portrayal of Black Children.” Journal of African American studies (New

Brunswick, N.J.) 25.3 (2021): 460–474. Web.

In this article Parham-Payne discusses the portrayal and media representation of Black

children from the 1970s to 2000s. Seeking to analysis the inconsistencies of media

coverage, which often includes harmful stereotypes that convey biased views. Deviant
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behavior has been one of the leading characteristics that define black children’s media

portrayal. Parham-Payne uses examples of multimedia technology such as television,

newspaper articles and motion picture films to show how an industry can affect

characterizations in ethnic communities. Powerful stereotypes can often seep themselves

from juvenile minds to their future adult minds. Often fueling the adultification of black

children, all in all which affects socioeconomic communities in proximity to black

children.

Saha, Anamik, and Sandra van Lente. “Diversity, Media and Racial Capitalism: A Case Study on

Publishing.” Ethnic and racial studies 45.16 (2022): 216–236. Web.

In this article Saha and Van Lente seek to demonstrate diversity in different cultural

industries. Basing their studies on writers of color in the UK, they interviewed 113 people

which represents how different publishers actively use diversity as a tool in efficiency.

Saha and Van Lente argue that many publishers say they are actively aligned with

diversity, which includes moral and economical cases for minorities. The authors argue

that all these causes exist only in tension and will affect minority authors. Seeking to

expose cracks in media’s diversity clause, they will go in depth on the discourse of how

racial diversity affects the different industries, positively or negatively.