Shades of Race in the Deep South Press: An Examination of the 2012 Presidential
Abstract
President Obama lost the Deep South states— Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana—to his Republican contestant Romney, a white man, in the 2012 Presidential Election. Examining 55 news articles, opinions, and editorials from three most prominent Deep South newspapers— Clarion-Ledger, Birmingham News, and Times-Picayune—this study seeks to understand whether racial profiling impacted the election results of 2012. The research revealed that the three newspapers seem to avoid race issues by following their declared integrationist, moderate and independent policy (at least by Ledger and Picayune) and considering greater readerships in the changing demographics of the region. The Birmingham News, however, showed a negative tone toward President Obama, proving the symptoms that the present generation is destined to pass on the problems of race to another generation.