Perspectives on entertainment television's portrayal of a racial incident: An intensive analysis |
| |
| Authors: | James M Carlson Rebecca Trichtinger |
| |
| Institution: | 1. Department of Political Science , Providence College , Providence, RI, 02918 E-mail: jcarlson @ providence.edu;2. Pittsburgh, PA |
| |
| Abstract: | Television entertainment plays an important role in the development of political orientations concerning authority, order, freedom and equality. This article shows that viewers have “limited autonomy” in constructing meaning from television entertainment. Q‐method was employed to determine viewer's subjective reactions to an episode of Law and Order that fictionalized a racial incident that took place in Brooklyn, New York in 1991. The analysis revealed that there were at least seven distinct readings of the program. While there was consensus about some aspects of the story, viewers obviously had some autonomy regarding interpretation. We argue for a synthesis of theories that emphasize “closed” and “open” meanings of television programs. Entertainment is politically relevant and the most useful way to examine its impact is through intensive methods. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
