This master’s thesis examines racial discrimination in the media by analysing American and German coverage of selected mass shootings. The results of the content analysis attest to the racial discrimination of the media, which is in line with the theoretical findings. The results obtained from the American articles revealed racial discrimination in the categories of perpetrator, responsibility insinuating, race and mental health. The German results were compared to the American ones in order to observe similarities and differences between the media. In contrast with the American press, the German press revealed racial discrimination only in the categories of perpetrator and race. A comparative content analysis of the reporting showed that the German media only partially follow the American media and are therefore less discriminatory. In order to confirm the findings of the analysis, the reader’s perception of racial discrimination was examined with a questionnaire. The participants in the survey confirmed racial discrimination in the categories of perpetrator, race and responsibility insinuating. The results gathered confirmed the impact that the discriminatory media content has on the readers. Selective humanisation remains and promotes a distorted view of a crime and of the ones responsible for the crime.
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