Building Critical Race Media Literacy: Countering the Narrative

by Christine McWhorter

Overview

Providing students and scholars with the tools they need to understand the problematic racialized social structures present in the mainstream media, this book highlights how students can be empowered to challenge these social systems.

Positioned to increase students' critical understanding of systemic racial inequities depicted in various media texts, this text empowers students by encouraging them to question and act against systemic racial inequities as they recognize underlying messages depicted in media texts. Dr. Christine McWhorter highlights the racial issues embedded in media, the role of media in shaping cultural perceptions of race, and how these narratives can be challenged. The book serves as both an explanation of racial inequality in media and a detailed framework for analyzing these issues, providing students with an indispensable guide to their own journey of creating counternarratives as media makers.

This book will appeal to students and scholars of media and communication studies and journalism exploring topics such as critical race media literacy, media literacy, media effects, inequality and representation in media, and media messages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781032492360
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	07/21/2025
Pages:	214
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Christine McWhorter is Assistant Professor of Broadcast Journalism at Howard University, USA. Her research is centered on the intersection of news, media literacy, and race, and she specializes in critical race media literacy. Her work explores how media shapes public understanding of marginalized communities and how media literacy can empower BIPOC communities to challenge dominant narratives and tell their own stories. In addition to her work on race and media, she examines broader media literacy issues, including misinformation, news credibility, and the impact of digital platforms on public discourse.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Nikole Hannah-Jones

Introduction

Chapters

1. Media Power: Ownership, Influence, and Impact
2. Representation Matters
3. Whose Stories Get Told? How Media Constructs History
4. Algorithms as Silent Gatekeepers
5. Mis, Dis, and Malinformation and Race
6. Racial Master Narratives: The Influence of a Single Story
7. Counter Narratives: The Power of Collective Stories

Appendix: Critical Media Literacy in Practice

Glossary

Index