The media are a vital link between voters and politicians: most citizens are not directly involved in politics or government, and it is through the media that they obtain the bulk of their information about elections, candidates, and policy issues. As such, the quality, accuracy and tenor of media coverage has important implications. The literature on gendered mediation suggests that the media cover female politicians differently than male politicians, tending to highlight their femininity, roles as wives and mothers, and interest in “soft” policy issues. What is not clear, however, is if candidates from other politically marginalized groups receive similar patterns of coverage. Drawing on the literature on framing and heuristics, this paper proposes a theory of racial mediation and presents new data on the media’s portrayal of racial minorities in politics. A dictionary-based mechanized content analysis provides the basis for an examination of the media’s coverage of racial minority and non-minority candidates in the 2008 Canadian federal election. The paper suggests that three frames characterize the coverage of electoral candidates, with racial minorities disproportionately portrayed using a racial frame, a minority policy issues frame, and a political outsider frame. In addition to discussing the methodological implications of the analysis, the paper provides evidence of racial mediation and suggests that this may cue racial considerations in voters’ assessments of candidates and thus disadvantage racial minorities in politics.
