Analysis of the Portrayal of Koreans in American News Media
Open Access
Author:
Kim, Jenny
Area of Honors:
Journalism
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
John Philip Sanchez, Thesis Supervisor John Philip Sanchez, Thesis Honors Advisor Ann Louise Kuskowski, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Korea News Journalism Misrepresentation South Korea Stereotypes
Abstract:
This paper examines how Koreans are both misrepresented and underrepresented in the news media. Nightly newscasts from ABC, CBS, and NBC for the months of January 2013 and June 2013 are examined to show how the misconceptions created in the news media create misconceptions of Koreans as a whole. South Korea’s nightly newscasts from KBS are also examined to serve as a comparison between the U.S and Korean news media. Koreans are still depicted as a threat in the United States as well as in other countries, and have yet to escape the eternal nature of the Yellow Peril stereotype. The conducted research proves how the news media have become mass producers and conduits of distortion and propaganda of Koreans. Therefore, reporting news through a “conspiratorial prism” results in a distorted view of Koreans; moreover, it also proves that the news media has a pervasive influence to generate stereotypes. This research highlights an imperative issue which is that Koreans are being misrepresented which leads to misconceptions of them. This problem is obligatory to understanding the depreciation of Koreans in society.
