Perceptions of Inequality and the Role of the Media

Does media exposure to salient criminological events exacerbate racialized perceptions of injustice? We examine whether closely following media coverage of the fatal encounter of George Zimmerman’s shooting of Trayvon Martin mediates racial and ethnic differences in opinion surrounding the event. Our analysis covers several salient aspects of the case: Whether Zimmerman would have been arrested sooner if Martin had been white, whether respondents felt Zimmerman’s acquittal was justified, and whether there is racial bias against African Americans in the criminal justice system. Our findings support the racial gradient thesis by demonstrating that sustained exposure to racialized priming of the incident in the media hardens entrenched attitudes among African Americans relative to whites.