LibGuides: ACRL/EBSS Library Resources for Communication Studies (LRCS): Media Representation

About

This guide serves as a resource to assist faculty, students, and librarians in locating resources in the area of media representation, focusing primarily on organizations doing regular, substantive research on media representation. This is by no means an exhaustive guide and will continue to be updated periodically. Other resources can be found on the Diversity, Race, & the Media page.

Current Page Editor: Melissa Hopkins

Suggested Subject Keywords

The following is a short list of Library of Congress subject headings that will be helpful when performing a subject search of film studies.

Please consult the Library of Congress subject headings for more ideas.

Associations and Organizations

Color of Change They collaborate with like-minded insiders and influencers to change representations of black people - and issues affecting black people - across the media landscape..
Critical Media Project Critical Media Project (CMP) is a free media literacy web resource for educators and students (ages 8-21) that enhances young people’s critical thinking and empathy, and builds on their capacities to advocate for change around questions of identity.
GLAAD GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change.
The Groundtruth Project THE GROUNDTRUTH PROJECT is an award-winning, independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit news organization dedicated to supporting the next generation of journalists in the U.S. and around the world. Its mission is to serve under-covered communities by supporting the next generation of journalists to do on-the-ground reporting and to advance sustainability, innovation, and equity in journalism worldwide.
USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative is the leading think tank in the world studying diversity and inclusion in entertainment through original research and sponsored projects. Beyond research, the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative develops targeted, research-based solutions to tackle inequality.

Articles and Reports

Harvard's Nieman Journalism Lab Differing notions of objectivity in Black and mainstream white newspapers, how white reporters see their ethical obligations in covering race, the ways that reporters’ race affects their coverage of political candidates, and more.
Local Media Accountability Index In pursuit of accelerating LGBTQ acceptance in the U.S. South and nationwide, and to defeat stigma around HIV driving new infections, GLAAD examined the coverage of LGBTQ and HIV-related issues in media outlets across Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.
Nieman Reports on Diversity in the Newsroom
Normalizing Injustice A Comprehensive Study of How Television’s Most Popular Genre Excludes Writers of Color, Miseducates People about the Criminal Justice System, and Makes Racial Injustice Acceptable
Race In the Writers' Room The report demonstrates that the executives running television platforms today—both traditional networks and emerging streaming sites—are not hiring Black showrunners, which results in excluding or isolating Black writers in writers' rooms and in the creative process.
Research Areas & Reports
Studio Responsibility Index The GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index (SRI) maps the quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) characters in films released by eight major motion picture studios during the 2020 calendar year.
UCLA's Annual Hollywood Diversity Report The reports primarily examine the relationship between diversity and the bottom line in the entertainment industry.
Where We Are on TV The Where We Are on TV report analyzes the overall diversity of primetime scripted series regulars on broadcast networks and looks at the number of LGBTQ characters on cable networks and streaming services for the 2020-2021 TV season.

Teacher Resources

Canada's Centre for Digital & Media Literacy Lesson plans on diversity in media from: Media Smarts
Race and Ethnicity Lesson Plan From the Critical Media Project
UNESCO Module on Media Reprentation From: Media Information Literacy for Teachers