Victim or Villain? Racial/ethnic Differences in News Portrayals of Individuals with Mental Illness Killed by Police

Emma Frankham
2017
WORKING PAPER As a social problem, little is known about how individuals are portrayed in the news when race/ethnicity and mental illness intersect. This is important because of the ability of news to influence perceptions and policies about mental illness across race/ethnicity. This article examines how individuals with mental illness who were killed by police during 2015 and 2016 were portrayed in the news. Content analysis of 301 online news articles indicates that stereotypes associated
more » ... mental illness were differentially applied by race/ethnicity. Findings have implications for public attitudes about mental illness across race/ethnicity.Comments and queries about this project are welcome at frankham@wisc.edu
doi:10.17605/osf.io/v8fbx fatcat:mkit2g3ksjdsvi7pgsuusz24vu