The effect of the portrayal of ethnic minorities in the media on attitudes of minority and majority groups in the Netherlands

Abstract

This study investigates how the negative portrait of ethnic minorities in the media influences the of native Dutch towards ethnic minorities and the attitudes of ethnic minorities towards the Dutch society and their own ethnic group. In this contribution we focus on distinction between sensational and serious media. We show that sensational media has a negative and serious media a positive effect on the attitudes of native Dutch towards ethnic minorities. Sensational media has a positive effect on the attitudes of ethnic minorities towards the Dutch society and media has no effect on the attitude towards ethnic minorities own ethnic group. We find no support for the assumption that media usage is an expression of national preference or an indicator of involvement with the host country.