Race and Attitudes Toward the Police Assessing the Effects of Watching "Reality" Police Programs

The evident and palpable racial divide between the police and Black citizens was the impetus for this study. The study used ordinary least square regressions which were controlled for, with the finding that the frequency of watching news was positively related to ATP (attitude toward police) for Blacks and whites alike, but watching reality-crime programming improved ATP only for whites, males, and those with no college experience, but increased the racial divide for Blacks. Two alternative theoretical approaches were taken: the cultivation model which predicted all viewers would be similarly impacted, and the reception model which argued that viewers formed interpretive communities resulting in differences in how the media messages were received. Tables include variables used in regression equations; population, sample, and audience profiles; regression of confidence in police on reality police program viewing; and regression of confidence in police on reality police program viewing dissaggregated by race, sex, and education. It was emphasized that police agencies can control directly what images are shown on reality police programs. Their attention should be concentrated on the content of what is disseminated to the public, showing African-Americans in television roles beyond that of criminals, including in the role of police officer. It is recommended that future research include examination of ethnic/cultural and religious interpretive communities by using more diverse samples for study. Notes, references