Damning study finds a 'whitewashed' Hollywood

In one of the most exhaustive and damning reports on diversity in Hollywood, a new study found that the films and television produced by major media companies are "whitewashed", and that an "epidemic of invisibility" runs top to bottom through the industry for women, minorities and LGBT people.

A study released on Monday by the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism offers one of the most wide-ranging examinations of the film and television industries, including a pointed "inclusivity index" of 10 major media companies - from Disney to Netflix - that gives a failing grade to every movie studio and most TV makers.

The study, titled the Comprehensive Annenberg Report on Diversity, examined the 109 films released by major studios (including art-house divisions) in 2014 and 305 scripted, first-run TV and digital series across 31 networks and streaming services that aired from September 2014 to August 2015. More than 11,000 speaking characters were analyzed for gender, racial and ethnic representation and LGBT status. About 10,000 directors, writers and show creators were examined, as was the gender of more than 1,500 executives.