The influence of local journalism: An examination of local televised news stories about Black youth and mental health in Minneapolis

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In this two-phase project, we aimed to understand how news media narratives surrounding mental health shape Black youth’s perceptions of mental health needs in Minneapolis. A media scan of local television news paired with focus groups with Black youth (13-19 years old) living in the Minneapolis area highlighted the intersectional impact of news media messages on Black youth with mental health conditions. Below, we summarize the study published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

Background

In Minnesota, over a quarter of Black youth report depressive symptoms; thus, it is unsurprising that Black residents in Minneapolis, Minnesota, highlight that mental health is one of their top health-related concerns. Despite this reality, little is known about how current local media narratives present the intersecting themes of Black youth and mental health.

Stigma refers to negatively valued attributes, depersonalization, and negative attitudes or behaviors directed at or assigned to social identities, which are reinforced in systems of power.

One way stigma can be reinforced is through the news media. Local news is particularly important for communicating norms, values, and community cohesion.

In this study, we utilize the model of stigma communication (MSC) as a conceptual framework, which argues that stigmatizing messages contain labels, marks, accusations of responsibility, and emphasis on peril that stigmatize groups. Stigmatized group members may employ different coping strategies to cope with various media portrayals of their group. We, therefore, aimed to understand how local news was portraying Black youth and mental health, as well as, how the youth cope with such portrayals.

The study

Phase 1: The media scan examined how Black youth are represented in local news programs using news coverage aired between July 1 and December 31, 2023, on Minneapolis’s four major television networks. Our final sample (n = 60) excluded stories that were not specific to Minnesota and were not about either youth or the Black community specifically. The coding scheme included variables that assessed how Black youth are framed in local TV news program clips and included considerations for context (e.g., specific locations and mental health conditions), content (e.g., story topic, groups represented, source/voice, etc.), and narrative tone (e.g., tone valence and framing of characters).

Phase 2: Four focus groups were conducted. Participants who identified as Black, were aged 13 to 19 years old, proficient in English, and resided in the Minneapolis metro region were included (n = 21). During each focus group, participants were asked questions covering the following four topics: 1) representation of Black youth and mental health, 2) reactions to the representation, 3) coping with stigmatizing representation, and 4) recommendations for changing representation. These questions served as discussion topics. Participants also built on each other’s answers and occasionally asked questions of the group.

Key findings

Media Scan: Only six stories were specifically about Black youth and mental health. Within the six stories, five were characterized as negative and only one presented a positive angle. All six clips mentioned crime, and the other five clips did not provide any potential remedy or community resources for coping with conditions like trauma. We identified labels (n = 5; e.g., juvenile, bully) and marks of crime (n = 6) in the six video clips.

Although the Black youth with mental health conditions were not always portrayed as perpetrators of a crime, when they were portrayed as perpetrators, the news stories often suggested that the individuals were dangerous and responsible for their situation. Although the number of stories analyzed is limited, they suggest an intersection of stigma, such that Black youth with mental health conditions are presented as dangerous while Black youth who experience perilous community events are likely to develop mental health conditions.

Focus Groups:

Representation: Participants across the focus groups affirmed the intersectional and compounding stigma of being both a Black youth and someone with a mental health condition represented in the local news. They were frustrated with the labels used in the news (e.g., “juvenile” or “thugs”) and the criminality associated with Black youth. Participants with friends whose deaths were publicized on the local news highlighted their discontent with the misrepresentation of their stories. They noticed that systemic disparities related to mental health conditions in their social circles were overlooked in news stories with emphasis on criminality, police brutality, or drug use instead.

Reactions to the media: Participants highlighted that news representations of Black youth and mental health influenced how they talked about mental health in their communities and how they felt perceived by society at large. They noted that these conversations and perceptions are often stigmatizing. The most common factor associated with stigma toward mental health within their community stems from cultural differences. Participants argued that older generations (i.e., parents or grandparents) and family members who were raised in different cultures (e.g., Kenyan) do not share the vocabulary to talk about mental health. The news was interpreted as a source that promotes narratives that perpetuate stereotypes. They noted that stories about Black individuals often reinforce stereotypes and intensify stigma around mental health and seeking help in the Black community.

Coping: On an individual level, some participants noted hiding mental illness symptoms to maintain a positive perception, particularly from their parents. Others, however, ignored the stigma surrounding mental health conditions and proudly displayed their mental health statuses. School counselors, community information booths, and social media were mentioned as resources that helped them learn and cope with their mental health challenges. When among the general public, participants suggested that they practice more avoidance or concealing coping mechanisms because they felt stigma associated with their identity as a Black youth was perceived as more dangerous and would not allow for empathy for their mental health condition.

Recommendations for narrative change: Most of the participants noted that they themselves rarely watch local TV news. Some argued that journalists may need to use different media vehicles (e.g., social media platforms) to reach a younger audience. Other participants nonetheless advocated for local TV news stories that would increase individual understanding of mental health and close the mental health knowledge gap between them and their parents since the older generation is attuned to this local programming. Overwhelmingly, participants argued that the media should highlight celebratory community gatherings and relate the events to examples of mental well-being.

Implications/importance

Our results highlight major disparities in news coverage as well as significant opportunities for improvement in news narratives about mental health and Black youth.

We found that the limited stories about Black youth and mental health followed the expected misrepresentation pattern, as the news stories were all focused on crime. We also suspect that the observed underrepresentation of stories, coupled with the youth in this study expressing that mental health concerns are rarely discussed in their community circles, may signify that local news media may reinforce the default that mental health is not a topic of concern for the Black community.

It was clear from the conversations that parents and guardians are adamant about providing safety and shelter to their youth but may not have the language or cultural understanding to effectively talk about mental health. Future research should seek to understand what models for news production allow for positive messages that can be presented to Black guardians across various ethnicities and generations to promote mental health knowledge, encourage parent-child communication, and other mental wellness behaviors.

Read more related work from the COMM team:

On building narrative infrastructure for health and racial equity
On the importance of dreaming about and mobilizing to create equitable futures
On centering historically minoritized populations in messages about policy to advance equity
A review of strategic messaging approaches to promote policies that advance racial equity