Victims and Villains: Racial/ethnic Differences in News Portrayal of Persons with Mental Illness Killed by Police

• In Event: Police, Police Shootings, and Perceptions

Abstract

This paper examines racial/ethnic differences in how 301 persons with mental illness killed by police during 2015 and 2016 were portrayed in news reports. Qualitative content analysis indicates that frames that construct individuals as being victims of mental illness were most common in news reports about Whites, while African-Americans were most likely to be portrayed as victims of police actions. Graphic content was also much more prevalent in news reports about African-Americans, serving as a visceral reminder of the actions of police. For news reports about African-Americans, 22% included graphic content, versus 6% of news reports about Whites and 13% of news reports about Hispanics. Hispanics were most likely to be portrayed as 'villains' through discussions of substance use, criminal records, and expressions of support for police. Drawing from literature examining the media construction of crime through a lens of 'villains' versus 'victims', this paper explores implications of racial/ethnic differences in news coverage of persons with mental illness killed by police.

Author

• Emma Frankham, University of Wisconsin–Madison