Spanish Language Television News Portrayals of Youth and Violence in California

Abstract

Language is central to Latino1 culture and to the current multicultural multilingual realities of the United States. This exploratory study takes those who may be unfamiliar with Spanish language television news through a comparative analysis of television portrayals of youth and violence. Findings from this ethnographic content analysis reveal that local Spanish language television news stories on youth and/or violence are framed thematically (with a social, political, and economic context) three and a half times more often than English language local television news. This study highlights the importance of engaging the Spanish media in the future health promotion efforts. Public health advocates can share information related to the socioeconomic factors associated with violence and outline policy and programmatic solutions with Spanish language journalists.