Inter-Racial and Intra-Racial Homicides: Media Coverage, Blame, and Context

Abstract: The media treats homicides differently based on the race of victims. In light of recent killings of unarmed Blacks that had their culpability questioned during coverage of their deaths, more studies are needed to examine whether coverage varies based on whether the homicide involved actors of the same or different races. Utilizing police report data from homicides matched with news stories about the killing, content analysis is used to: (1) explore variations in coverage based on whether the homicide was intra-racial or inter-racial; and (2) investigate whether contextual differences exist in how these homicide incidents are represented in the media.