Media Representation of Roma and Prejudice Toward Roma: Can One Television Show Promote Intergroup Tolerance?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the difference in the prejudicelevel toward Roma before, right after and seventeen months since thebroadcasting of a reality show in which the winner was a Roma minoritymember, and to determine whether the representation of Roma and theissue of Roma discrimination in print media coincides with the givenchanges. The research included a survey study, conducted at three timepoints and a content analysis of 231 issues of print media, publishedduring bimonthly periods that preceded each survey. Consistent with thehypotheses, right after the show, the level of both overt and subtleprejudice was significantly lower than before the show. 17 months later,although still lower than before the show, the prejudice leveldemonstrated an increasing trend. The highest representation of Roma inprint media was found during and right after the show, with the lowestproportion of negative articles, and highest representation of articlesconcerning Roma discrimination. The results indicate that only onetelevision show could lead to significant reduction of prejudice,through media contact with a member of a minority and observation of apositive minority-majority interaction, as well as through exposure to amedia agenda that promotes the social norms of intergroup tolerance.