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

About

This guide is designed to give a basic starting point for researchers, librarians, and students who would like to find resources on the topics of media, diversity, and race. This is by no means an exhaustive guide. Any additions you would like to make will be considered by the committee.

Current Page Editor: Kristina De Voe

Suggested Subject Headings

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

Databases

See General Communication Databases to get started.

Alt-Press Watch (fee-based) Full text database of over 230 independent and alternative press newspapers, magazines and journals.
Alternative Press Index (fee-based) A bibliographic database of journal, newspaper, and magazine articles from over 300 international alternative, radical, and left periodicals. 1991 - present.
Alternative Press Index Archive (fee-based) Archive of Alternative Press Index, 1969-1990.
Black Studies Center (fee-based) The Black Studies Center provides coverage of the black experience in fields such as history, literature, political science, sociology, philosophy, and religion. It includes resources from Schomburg Studies on the Black Experience, historical backfiles of The Chicago Defender, and current scholarly journals.
Chicano Database (fee-based) Produced by the Ethnic Studies Library at the University of California, Berkeley, this bibliographic index covers a wide range of materials focused on the Mexican-American and Chicano experience, as well as the broader Latino experience of Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans and Central American immigrants from 1992 onwards.
Ethnic NewsWatch (fee-based) A current resource of full-text newspapers, magazines, and journals of the ethnic and minority press, providing researchers access to essential, often overlooked perspectives. Perhaps the most valuable aspect of the resources is the inclusion of unique community publications not found in any other database, as well as top scholarly journals on ethnicities and ethnic studies.
Film & Television Literature Index (fee-based) This comprehensive bibliographic database provides indexing and abstracts for hundreds of publications related to film and television studies. A version including journals in full text is also available.
Gale OneFile: Contemporary Women's Issues (fee-based) Provides access to current full text and pertinent backfile content covering topics including civil rights, health, education, professional development, and entrepreneurship that influence women’s lives across the globe.
Gender Studies (Taylor & Francis) (fee-based) Access to the latest content from 21 leading journals in the specialist research field of gender studies.
Gender Studies Database (fee-based) Gender Studies Database provides indexing and abstracts covering the full spectrum of gender-related scholarship.
GenderWatch (fee-based) Includes over 300 titles, 250 in full text, on gender and women's studies and LGBT research. 1970 - present.
LGBTQ+ Life (fee-based) This comprehensive database indexes and abstracts literature regarding LGBTQ subjects.
LGBTQ+ Source (fee-based) Provides scholarly and popular LGBT publications in full text, plus historically important primary sources, including monographs, magazines and newspapers. It also includes a specialized LGBT thesaurus containing thousands of terms.
LGBT Thought and Culture (fee-based) An online resource hosting the key works and archival documentation of LGBT political and social movements throughout the 20th century and into the present day. The collection contains 150,000 pages of rare archival content, including seminal texts, letters, periodicals, speeches, interviews, and ephemera.
ProQuest Historical Black Newspapers (fee-based) ProQuest Historical Black Newspapers offer essential primary source content and editorial perspectives of the most distinguished African American newspapers in the U.S.
SocINDEX (fee-based) SocINDEX is a bibliographic database for sociology research. It offers indexed records from top sociology journals covering many related studies. A version including journals in full text is also available.
Sociological Abstracts (fee-based) Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. 1963-present.
Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts (fee-based) Provides abstracting of journal articles and books on topics such as media treatment of women, gender role socialization, women's health, and social policy (among other topics). Where possible, abstracts are linked to full-text articles. Coverage is from 1995 to the present.
Women's Studies International (fee-based) Women’s Studies International is a bibliographic database for women’s studies and feminist research. Providing indexing and abstracts for hundreds of publications, it is a valuable resource for many disciplines, including sociology, history, international relations and humanities.

Selected Journals & Trade Publications

Black Camera
Camera Obscura: Feminism, Culture, and Media Studies (1976 - ). Covers areas such as the conjunctions of gender, race, class, and sexuality with audiovisual culture; new histories and theories of film, television, video, and digital media; and politically engaged approaches to a range of media practices
Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies
Communication and Race Academic, starting 2024 NCA Journal
Critical Studies in Media Communication
Critical Studies in Television
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Feminist Media Histories
Feminist Media Studies Academic
Journal of Media Ethics
Media, Culture and Society
Media Report to Women Newsletter
Sex Roles From Springer, Sex Roles: A Journal of Research is a global, multidisciplinary, scholarly, social and behavioral science journal with a feminist perspective.
Sexuality and Culture From Springer, Sexuality & Culture offers an international forum for analysis of ethical, cultural, psychological, social, and political issues related to sexual relationships and sexual behavior.
Social Identities
Women's Studies in Communication Academic
Women and Language Academic

Other Communication Studies journals that publish gender and media research:

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 (via Annenberg Inclusion Initiative)
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.
Visibility Perceptions in Advertising

Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, and Handbooks

Gender & Women
Race/Ethnicity

Black Women in Television: An Illustrated History and Bibliography Hill, G. H., Raglin, L., & Johnson, C. F. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2016.
Encyclopedia of Gender in Media Kosut, Mary. Los Angeles, CA: Sage, 2012.
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications Johnston, Donald H.. Amsterdam [etc.: Academic Press, 2003.
The Encyclopedia of Women in Radio, 1920-1960 Sies, Leora M, and Luther F. Sies. Jefferson, N.C: Mcfarland & Co, 2012.
Gender, Race and Class in Media Yousman, B., Bindig, L., Dines, G., & Humez, J. M. M. (Eds.). (2021). Sixth Edition. SAGE Publications.
The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication Ross, K., & Bachmann, I. (Eds.). (2021). (Ser. The wiley blackwell-ica international encyclopedias of communication). John Wiley & Sons.
Women and American Television : An Encyclopedia Lowe, Denise. Santa Barbara, Calif: ABC-Clio, 1999.
Women and Mass Communications in the 1990's : An International, Annotated Bibliography Lent, John A. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press, 1999
Women in Communication : A Biographical Sourcebook Signorielli, Nancy. Westport: Greenwood, 1996.

African American Newspapers and Periodicals: A National Bibliography Danky, James P. and Maureen E. Hady. Harvard University Press, 1998.
African Americans in the Media Today: An Encyclopedia Riley, Sam G. Greenwood Press, 2007.
American Indian and Alaska Native Newspapers and Periodicals Littlefield, Daniel F., and James W. Parins. Greenwood Press, 1984-86.
Channeling Blackness: Studies on Television and Race in America Hunt, Darnell M. Oxford University Press, 2005.
Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television McCann, Bob. McFarland & Co, 2010.
Encyclopedia of International Media and Communications Johnston, Donald H. Academic Press, 2003.
Encyclopedia of Latino Popular Culture Candelaria, Cordelia. Greenwood Press, 2004.
Handbook of Spanish Language Media Albarran, Alan B. Routledge, 2009.
Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema Berry, Torriano, and Venise T. Berry. Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. 2nd ed.
Historical Dictionary of African American Television Fearn-Banks, Kathleen, and Anne Burford-Johnson, Rowman & Littlefield. 2014.
Routledge Handbook of Ethnicity and Race in Communication Calafell, Bernadette Marie and Eguchi, Shinsuke (eds.). Routledge, 2024.
Swingin' on the Ether Waves: A Chronological History of African Americans in Radio and Television Broadcasting, 1925-1955 Sampson, Henry T. Scarecrow Press, 2005.
U.S. News Coverage of Racial Minorities: A Sourcebook, 1934-1996 Keever, Beverly D., Carolyn Martindale, and Mary Ann Weston. Greenwood Press, 1997.

Archives & Special Collections

American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) Archives AWRT was founded in 1951 in response to the National Association of Broadcasters' decision to dissolve its women's division. The organization's mission is to "advance the impact of women in broadcasting and related fields." They also support educational programs, and scholarships, do charity work, and other public service activities. The organization changed its name to the Alliance for Women in Media (AWM) in 2010. The AWRT records, which span the years 1947 to 1999, mainly document its yearly national conventions.
National Women and Media Collection at The State Historical Society of Missouri
Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History The Sophia Smith Collection of archival materials at Smith College includes prominent figures such as Helen Gurley Brown (editor of Cosmopolitan Magazine), and Gloria Steinem (co-founder and former editor of Ms. Magazine).
Washington Press Club Foundation: Women in Journalism Project The project includes comprehensive, full-life interviews with women journalists—from pioneers of early women’s journalism, to champions of civil rights, to celebrities in the world of broadcast television—who have made significant contributions to society through careers in journalism since the 1920s.
Women Come to the Front: Journalists, Photographers and Broadcasters During World War II This Library of Congress online exhibit features photographs, articles, and other materials on eight women broadcasters, journalists and photographers of World War II. Also includes a more extensive list of women who worked as accredited correspondents during the Second World War.

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

Associations, Research Centers & Organizations

Gender & Women
Race/Ethnicity

Association for Women in Communications
WC is a professional organization that champions the advancement of women across all communications disciplines by recognizing excellence, promoting leadership and positioning its members at the forefront of the evolving communications era.
Association for Women in Sports Media
A volunteer-managed, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1987 as a support network and advocacy group for women who work in sports media (reporting, editing, broadcast, media relations, etc.)
The Association of LGBTQ Journalists
Founded in August 1990, an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students working from within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues.
Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film
The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University is home to the longest running and most comprehensive studies of women in film and television.
Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media
Founded in 2004 by Academy Award Winning Actor Geena Davis, a global research-based organization working collaboratively within the entertainment industry to create gender balance, foster inclusion and reduce negative stereotyping in family entertainment media
International Association of Women in Radio and Television
A vibrant international network of women working in television, film, radio and web-based journalism. Every two years they host an international conference on media issues that includes screenings and professional networking.
International Women's Media Foundation
Since 1990, it has worked to unleash the potential of women journalists as champions of press freedom to transform the global news media.
National Federation of Press Women
A dynamic nationwide organization of professional women — and men — pursuing careers across the communications spectrum.
Organization for Research on Women and Communication
Promotes dialogue, discussion, research, and scholarship concerned with women, feminism, gender, oppression, and social change. ORWAC is a Western States Communication Association (WSCA) affiliate, publishes a journal: Women’s Studies in Communication, and sponsors programs at the WSCA convention.
Organization for the Study of Communication, Language and Gender
OSCLG has grown from a series of interdisciplinary conferences that began at Bowling Green State University in 1978. Since that time, it has sought to provide a forum for professional discussion, presentation of research and demonstration of creative projects in the areas of communication, language and gender, and to promote recognition of those doing work in this area.
ReFrame Project
Founded and led by Women in Film and the Sundance Institute, ReFrame's goals are to provide research, support, and a practical framework that can be used by media companies to mitigate bias during the creative decision-making and hiring process, celebrate successes, and measure progress toward a more gender-representative industry on all levels.
UCLA's Annual Hollywood Diversity Report
The reports primarily examine the relationship between diversity and the bottom line in the entertainment industry.
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press
Founded in 1972 to increase communication among women and reach the public with their experience, perspectives, and opinions. WIFP operates as a national and international network of associates: media women and media-concerned women, as well as some men. Their feminism is intersectional and isn’t trans exclusionary or marginalizing of intersex, non-binary, gender non-conforming, genderqueer people.
Women in Film
WIF advocates for and advances the careers of women working in the screen industries—to achieve parity and transform culture.

American Indian Library Association (AILA)
Includes a list of resources for academic libraries, including the American Native Press Archives.
American Jewish Press Association (AJPA)
Asian American Journalists Association
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Minorities and Communication Division
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.
Media Diversity Forum
The Media Diversity Forum is designed to serve inclusiveness by seeking resources, supporting research, stimulating dialogue, sponsoring programs and sharing techniques.
National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications
National Association of Black Journalists
National Association of Hispanic Journalists
National Center on Disability and Journalism
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Multicultural Alliance
Member organizations are Latino Public Broadcasting, Black Public Media, Vision Maker Media, Pacific Islanders in Communications, and Center for Asian American Media.
National Newspaper Publishers Association
Native American Journalists Association
Newsroom Diversity Survey (ASNE)
The ASNE Newsroom Employment Diversity Survey (previously known as the Newsroom Employment Census) is a tool ASNE uses to measure the success of its goal of having the percentage of minorities working in newsrooms nationwide equal to the percentage of minorities in the nation's population by 2025.
NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists
Society of Professional Journalists Diversity Toolbox
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.