Television and the Public Image of Social Workers: Portrayal Or Betrayal?(Commentary‪)‬

The start of the new millennium brought with it three prime-time television series featuring social workers, the latest of which to debut in the winter of 2001 was Kate Brasher. Was this a sign of greater public awareness of the essential role of social workers? Would this newest series provide a more accurate and flattering portrayal of social workers than other television shows? Unfortunately, the answer was "no" to both questions. The power of the media to mold public images is well established (see, for example, Best, 1995; Chaffee & Frank, 1996; Hiebert, 1999; Zaller, 1992). The focus here is on one source of image-making--television. Television has high impact and rapid message delivery (Andreasen, 1995). A study conducted by the Center for Media and Public Affairs (CMPA, 2001) for the Council for Excellence in Government, for example, found that the vision of elected officials and civil servants as inept (if not corrupt), which had been promulgated and reinforced on prime-time television has undergone a metamorphosis. With new series, particularly The West Wing, government workers are now portrayed--and thus increasingly viewed by the public--as dedicated, sensitive, competent people (de Moraes, 2001; Jurkowitz, 2001). If only this were the case for social workers, who could use a boost in public image.