Inside TV’s Reckoning with Writing About Race

Author

• Anushka Dakshit, Craig Newmark Graduate School of JournalismFollow

Graduation Date

Fall 12-13-2025

Grading Professor

Kovie Biakolo

Subject Concentration

Arts & Culture

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Abstract

In the face of rollbacks in DEI initiatives across the entertainment industry, television writers, producers, and critics discuss how racial representation behind the scenes can impact nuanced storytelling in front of the camera. In the early 2010s Lena Dunham's "Girls" received criticism for in the early 2010s for its lack of racial representation. In 2025, "Southern Fried Rice," produced by Keke Palmer, received controversy for its lack of sensitivity towards the representation of Black women. Critics, writers, and cultural strategists weigh in on what authentic representation looks like throughout all of the stages of the television development process. Link to capstone project: https://medium.com/@anushka.dakshit30/inside-tvs-reckoning-with-writing-about-race-1ccbadf5cd96

Recommended Citation

Dakshit, Anushka, "Inside TV’s Reckoning with Writing About Race" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gj_etds/821