Advocates of their community? The conditionality of stereotyping of ethnic minority politicians on television news in Flanders (2003-2014)

In this study, integrating theories on unequal political representation of ethnic minorities and political communication, we highlight the role of stereotyping in news coverage. First, we assess the association of ethnic minority politicians with minority and integration issues and its evolution over time. Second, we identify individual-level characteristics affecting the probability of ethnic minority politicians to receive stereotypical news coverage. Using a longitudinal content analysis (2003-2014) of every Flemish television news story featuring ethnic minority politicians, we systematically investigate patterns of stereotyping in television news coverage. Findings confirm that stereotyping is pervasive in television news coverage of ethnic minority politicians. Longitudinal analysis reveals, however, a sharp decrease over time. This study’s main contribution, however, lies in the finding that stereotyping in news coverage is conditional upon the prestige of the political position: overall, political newcomers or politicians with a local function are more likely to receive stereotypical news coverage than ethnic minority politicians with a prestigious political position. This reveals an intriguing paradox: acquiring a higher political status enables ethnic minority politicians to escape stereotypical news coverage, but simultaneously pervasive news stereotyping may prevent them from climbing the political ladder.status: publishe