USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center Study Examines Portrayals of Jews in Contemporary Scripted TV

As someone deeply invested in the power of media to shape perceptions and foster understanding, I find the findings of this “Jews on Screen” study particularly noteworthy. Having grown up with a mix of Jewish and non-Jewish influences, I can attest to the profound impact accurate representation can have on shaping one’s self-image and fostering empathy among others.

Approximately half of the television show characters representing modern Judaism were portrayed by Jewish actors, as indicated by a study published by the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center Media Impact Project.

A study titled “Jews on Screen,” carried out under the Media Impact Project at the center, aimed to scrutinize how Jews are presented in scripted TV shows. The objective was to determine if representations of Jews and Jewish culture have evolved beyond the harmful stereotypes prevalent historically. Given the surge of antisemitic occurrences in the U.S. and globally, the Lear Center highlighted the significance of creating authentic and empathetic portrayals of American Jews within the entertainment industry as a crucial step towards countering bias.

Research over several years shows that TV shows and movies significantly impact perceptions about minority groups. Entertainment can either reinforce negative stereotypes or biases, but it can also challenge them. Therefore, understanding how Jewish-Americans are usually depicted in modern media is essential, according to this report.

The findings were reached by analyzing 108 Jewish characters in 49 episodes from 15 scripted TV series that aired between 2021 and 2022. The series were chosen because they had “the most mentions of 30
keywords related to Jews or Judaism,” per the study.

The research revealed that over half (56%) of the roles were portrayed by actors identified as Jewish, compared to those categorized as confirmed non-Jews at 24%. It’s worth noting that male characters were assigned to Jewish actors more frequently (65%) than female characters (44%).

Approximately one third of Jewish male characters wore traditional attire like yarmulkes. Nearly half (around 48%) of these characters were depicted as religious professionals, such as rabbis and funeral directors, while about 19% were identified as Orthodox. Fewer than one in five characters spoke about Judaism in their dialogue. Approximately 30% of the characters were presented as wealthy or upper-middle class.

The research additionally explored the particular views and depictions of Orthodox Jews. Roughly half of the shows examined contained at least one Orthodox character with a speaking part, while approximately half of the episodes showcased characters expressing critical opinions about Orthodox Judaism.

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2024-12-11 20:46