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Photographs in the Seattle Times

Lars Crawford, Nicole Masangkay, Tyler Maxfield, Lauren Schergen June, 2011

Executive Summary Photos make up a universal language of the masses. The human brain is programmed to process photos, more so than written words. It takes about a tenth of the time for a human to recognize an image compared to a written word (Grabe, 2011). This demonstrates the power of visuals in the media, and the importance of analyzing photos in our content audit. Pictures can capture the authentic reality, difficult to capture in text. The Seattle Times should equally project diversity through its written and photographic work. We evaluated 380 stand-alone photos or photos associated with Seattle Times articles to evaluate the representations of different social groups (gender, age, and race) in terms of their frequency and context in photos. In brief, we found: There was a statistically significant overrepresentation of career-aged individuals and males. There is an underrepresentation of Asian Americans. Otherwise racial representation generally corresponded with the 2009 Census of King County. Settings of photos tend to emphasize gender stereotypes. Additionally, men are more likely to be portrayed with positive or negative framing than women.

These findings provide a direction for the Seattle Times to better achieve an accurate representation of its readers with respect to the fault lines of gender, age, and race.

Representation of Age in Photos

Age and generational differences make up a significant fault line that influences our identity and role in society. With an aging population, it is important for the media to fairly depict all age groups and allow the face of each generation to be seen and heard. Figure 1 Age group of primary subjects

Can't determine age of primary subjects 23%

Primary subjects 24 years or younger 17%

Primary subjects of mixed age groups 9%

Primary subjects 65 years or older 7%

Primary subjects 25 to 64 years 44%

Primary subjects depicted in Seattle Times photos are most likely beyond school age but younger than retirement age. Primary subjects were least likely to be in the retired or young age groups. Photos with primary subjects who were 65 years or older made up 7% of Seattle Times photos and photos with primary subjects who were 24 or younger made up 17% of Seattle Times photos. Primary subjects between the ages of 25 years and 64 years of age made up the primary subjects in 44% of photos. Photos with people of multiple age groups made up only 9% of photos.

Representation of Gender in Photos

The issue of gender representation in photos was focused on because gender roles, norms, and portrayals in the United States have been changing greatly over the past century in all aspects of life. As such, gender representation in the media should be changing to include more females, in both photos and articles. Figure 2 Gender of primary subjects At least one primary subject is indeterminate 4%

Primary subjects male and female 16%

Primary subjects all females 23%

Primary subjects all males 57%

Regardless of their roles, genders depiction in photos is skewed relative to the total population of the King County (49.8% Male, 50.2% female) (U.S Census Bureau). Males make up the majority, 57%, of individuals displayed in photos depicting only one gender while females only make up 23%, despite the fact that females make up for more than half the population. Photos in which the primary subject is female appear less than half as often as photos in which the primary subject is male.

Representation of Gender in Different Photo Settings

As gender roles have been changing, the settings in which different genders are depicted is just as important, if not more so, than the general percentage representation. The setting of photos allows readers to associate genders with specific roles or identities. As more females move towards the work force, and identify themselves as individuals, we would expect their representation in different settings to more closely resemble the males. Figure 3 Gender of primary subjects in different photo settings
30% 25% 20% Percentage 15% 10% 5% 0%

1 Primary subjects all male 2 Primary subjects all female 3 Primary subjects male and female

Setting

Women and men are shown in settings that reinforce gender stereotypes. Women are more likely to be represented in home (7%) and in leisure venues (28%) compared to with males (1% and 19% respectively). Males are more likely to be depicted in the office (9%) compared to with females (3%).

Representation of Race in Photos

With a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles comes many unique interests and concerns. To ensure the Seattle Times readers are being heard, we evaluated community representation by observing racial groups in photos. We compared our Audit Data to the King County 2009 Census estimates as a measure of Seattle Times efforts to represent its readers racial diversity. Figure 4 Comparison of Races in Census data and Content Audit
80% Audit Data

Percentage

60% 40% 20% 0%

Census

Race

Caucasians make up the significant majority of photo subject race. They were primary subjects in 64% of the number of photos we studied. African-American / Black primary subjects made up the second second-highest racial representation with 12%.

The photography in the Seattle Times roughly projects reflects the King County 2009 Census estimates with some over- and underrepresentation. Asian Americans/Asians are the most underrepresented group. They represented 2% of primary subjects in Seattle Times photos versus 15% of the population reported in the King County. Hispanics/Latinos, Caucasians, African Americans/Blacks, and Native Americans were all represented in proportions similar to the King County Census data. When comparing primary subjects in Seattle Times photos to census data, the frequency of these races had a difference of 5% or less.

Photo Shot Angle vs. Gender

Photo angle is a representation of whether a subject is portrayed negatively (high angle), neutrally (eye to eye), or positively (low angle). When applying these framing methods to photos, one can see how different genders are represented based on the photo angle. Gender roles are increasingly critiqued in society, making it necessary to represent males and females equally in photos. Figure 5 Photo angle versus gender
80.00% Primary subjects all male Primary subjects all female 60.00% Percentage Primary subjects mixed gender

40.00%

20.00%

0.00% High angle Eye to eye Angle Low angle

Males are more often portrayed critically, either positively or negatively, whereas females are more likely to be portrayed neutrally. In photos with females, 70% are depicted eye to eye, 17.5% low angle, and 10% high angle. In photos with males, 56% are depicted eye to eye, 24.2% low angle, and 14.3% high angle. When it is taken into account that males make up 57% of all photos and females make up 23% of all photos, the differences in percentages is exemplified.

Assessments and Recommendations

Based on our results, we have a fewthese recommendations: Photographs tended to agree with gender stereotypes in terms of setting and frequency of photos of each gender. A focus on transcending these stereotypes in photographs could help remove the biases of both photographer and reader. For example, taking more photos of women in critical high power professions. Young subjects were less represented than career career-aged people. Increasing the number of photos of children can be achieved through taking pictures in schools and academic settings. Old subjects were the most underrepresented age group. With an aging baby boomer population, issues of the elderly are becoming increasingly pertinent. Taking photos to correspond with articles about elderly issues, such as healthcare or special resources, could remedy the underrepresentation of senior citizens. Representation of Asians and Asian Americans was significantly lower than the 2009 King County census. Broadening the scope of photo locations based on the representation of geographic regions could help improve racial diversity. See data from Geography Group.

Increasing the amount of photos considered in this audit could have allowed us to further analyze variables such as photo angle and shot length. When looking at these variables, including photo angle with race and age and shot length with race, angle, and gender, it was difficult to draw concrete or significant conclusions.

Bibliography
Grabe, Maria Elizabeth. Presentation on Analyzing Visuals. Indiana University. University of Washington, WA. 14 April, 2011. U.S. Census Bureau. "State & Country QuickFacts: King County, Washington." 2009.