THE NEW-YORK-TIMES LOOKS AT ONE BLOCK IN HARLEM - NARRATIVES OF RACE IN JOURNALISM

Using discourse and narrative analysis,this study examines a three-par t series in the New York Times, portraying life on a single block in H arlem. The series appears to meet critics' calls for in-depth coverage of everyday life in minority communities written by minority reporter s. However, the systematic use of personalization-the technique of rep resenting social life through individual portraits-has the unfortunate consequences of reproducing stereotypes and suppressing evidence of c ooperative social activity in the neighborhood that would counter ster eotypes. Consequently, this study suggests that the project of enrichi ng news narratives of minority life requires increased editorial appre ciation of the underlying narrative and ideological frames within whic h ''facts'' of social life are presented.