Melissa A. Johnson is an assistant professor and graduate program director within the department of communication at North Carolina State University. She participates in ongoing research focusing on news flows between the United States and Latin America, Latinos and media in the United States.

How Ethnic Are U.S. Ethnic Media

In Johnson’s Article, How Ethnic Are U.S. Ethnic Media: The Case of Latina Magazines, she reviews three areas of ethnic media scholarship: assimilation, acculturation and pluralism. Johnson (2000) attempts to describe how “the dominant paradigm shifted from assimilation concerns to pluralism" (p. 229). In this article, Johnson uses qualitative and quantitative content analysis in examining news and features of magazines. The study focuses on five nationwide bilingual or English-language Latina magazines with a market population of Hispanic women. The magazines studied were those distributed in the U.S. from March 1997 to October 1998. According to Johnson, these magazines had simultaneous assimilation and pluralism functions. Assimilation is the process of releasing one's own culture and embracing the dominant culture.  Pluralism is the continuing practice of one's own unique culture while also engaging in the dominant culture.  The Latina magazines studied did not include acculturation, which is the process of a culture slowly acclimating to the dominant culture and may also include the dominant culture accepting parts of the subculture. 

Essentially, Johnson’s goal in conducting this study was to propose a revised model of ethnic media. She opens by first providing the basis for the necessity of this study, wherein she notes that most of the research on U.S. Latino media focuses on content, audience users, and effects of Spanish language, mainly in broadcasting and newspapers. She found in conducting her preliminary research that there was little or no credence to the highly and popularly distributed Latina magazines. As a result, Johnson (2000)chose the following five Latina magazines for her study: Latina, Estylo, Latina Bride, Moderna and Latina Style.

In this study Johnson aims to organize the knowledge focused on Hispanic media, and conduct an analysis of Latina magazines to compare the content to existing models and mediums of ethnic media functions. The functions explored include: transmission of native culture; promotion of ethnic pride; identification terms; political and social activism; community activities; and, any evidence of social control. In addition, Johnson suggests modifying existing models if necessary. She points out that revising the ethnic media model will require further inquiry and testing.

As a result, Johnson found that several pluralistic functions were identified in the magazines. These included preserving and transmitting identity, promoting pride, and the announcements of events or activities.  However, Johnson (2000) did not find any mention of politics or activism in these magazines. 

New Media Model

Johnson further discusses the new proposed model of ethnic media functions, which focuses on five pluralism functions and four assimilation functions. This model reflects new media outlets where one publication can present both pluralistic and assimilitative messages unlike the old media outlets that may not present these messages. In addition, the functions may be more symbolic than manifest. Johnson suggests that the new models will most likely present scholars with new challenges in the methods used.

Throughout the core of Johnson’s work, she provides information regarding the contents of the magazines studied. By using this information she arrives at her new model of ethnic media functions. First, Johnson (2000) concludes that ethnic media can still be "ethnic" without using the ethnic culture's own language (p. 244).  Symbolism can be just as ethnic as language. Second, political activism is not necessarily a function of national ethnic magazines (Johnson, 2000, p. 244). Third, stabilizing ethnic culture as well as promulgating it along with ethnic pride are functions of ethnic media (Johnson, 2000, p. 244). Fourth, ethnic magazines practice consumerism just like major magazines do (Johnson, 2000, p. 244). Fifth, ethnic media transmits ethnic culture to the dominant culture (Johnson, 2000, p. 245).  Finally, she states that the main purpose of Latina magazines within ethnic media is to give information to promote the U.S. value of individualism (Johnson, 2000, p. 245). Johnson suggests that further research can determine how suitable the new model is for other U.S. ethnic media and ethnic media outside of the U.S.

Johnson also mentions that this research is one of the few that has been conducted for Hispanic media that focuses on magazines. Johnson’s analysis covers the main sources of Latina magazines available. This article would therefore be useful in the study of ethnic media outlets (especially Hispanic outlets) due to the lack of information that is currently available regarding this subject. It would also be interesting to enhance this study with another look at the same five magazines or other current popular Latina magazines to see if there is any mention of politics or activism now that at least ten years have passed since this study was conducted.

(Reviewed by Erika Gutierrez; edited by Christopher Beck and Melissa Gardner)