“You’ve got to either adapt to us or get out of the field”: A qualitative analysis of people with intellectual disabilities’ perspectives on journalism and news media

There has been limited attention to the role of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) as contributors and consumers of news media. In a series of focus groups conducted with people with I/DD about news media, we found respondents had a diverse set of topical interests but generally negative perceptions of the news. They also faced a number of infrastructural, attitudinal, and cognitive barriers to accessing media. Additionally, participants expressed a desire for more positive representation of I/DD in news media, as well as more education and training for journalists. We conclude by considering news media engagement as an aspect of civic participation and make several recommendations for applications and future directions.