Ethnic media research has been one of the most important research frontiers in western communication studies since this new century. However, domestic research in this field is currently very little. By reviewing relevant forefront researches, this paper finds that there are two theoretical paradigms in it: functionalism and cultural studies. Media presentation, production and consumption are its key topics. Functionalism is the predominant research paradigm of ethnic media research. Localization is the hottest issue in this field. Neglecting the global flow of ethnic groups and the ties between ethnic minorities and their cultural mother countries is the main defect of ethnic media research in western communication studies. The communication scholars from China and other non-western countries should get into the swing of the ethnic media research in the future, in order to correct the path dependence and rebuild the global vision.