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TV News

Television stations respond to the viewing tastes of black audiences and hire black TV journalists. But they still may be encouraging a modern form of white racism-namely hostility, denial, and rejection of black aspirations. That's because TV continues to depict blacks as more physically threatening in crime and more demanding in politics than white activists, says communication expert Robert Entman, Ph.D., of Northwestern University, after scrutinizing 55 days of news programs in Chicago. Over the course of time, TV viewers may be exposed to thousands of images that perpetuate negative stereotypes about blacks. So much for TV as an accurate and balanced "cultural forum."

PHOTO: A black man throwing a punch (MARK PETERSON/J.B. PICTURES)