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News media and the racialization of protest: an analysis of Black Lives Matter articles

News media and the racialization of protest: an analysis of Black Lives Matter articles PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine coverage of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in seven US-based newspapers to determine whether the protest paradigm, “a pattern of news coverage that expresses disapproval toward protests and dissent,” and other marginalizing techniques are present, and racialized.Design/methodology/approachRelevant articles published during a six-month period of 2014 near the death of Michael Brown were retrieved from the selected outlets, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the St Louis Post-Dispatch. Textual and content analyses were performed.FindingsThe articles heavily followed the paradigm. An additional characteristic, blame attribution, was also identified. Language of crime, lawlessness, violence, blame for nearby acts of violence, and inflammatory quotes from bystanders and official sources were often present. There was little discussion of key issues associated with the formation of BLM.Research limitations/implicationsMainstream outlets rather than social media or alternative outlets were examined. Future research should study coverage of BLM in other outlets.Practical implicationsMeasures to avoid marginalizing protests and racialization of coverage, including increased diversity in the newsroom and monitoring for racialized language are suggested.Social implicationsRacialization of news and coverage of BLM has widespread negative consequences, such as association of Blacks with criminality that may affect their quality of life. The protest paradigm has the ability to squelch participation in social movements, which have the possibility to bring about needed social change.Originality/valueThis interdisciplinary paper highlights the important role of mainstream media and news routines in affecting the BLM movement. It uses diversity research to make recommendations for media practitioners to avoid racialization of news. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal Emerald Publishing

News media and the racialization of protest: an analysis of Black Lives Matter articles

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Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
2040-7149
DOI
10.1108/EDI-01-2017-0010
Publisher site
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Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine coverage of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement in seven US-based newspapers to determine whether the protest paradigm, “a pattern of news coverage that expresses disapproval toward protests and dissent,” and other marginalizing techniques are present, and racialized.Design/methodology/approachRelevant articles published during a six-month period of 2014 near the death of Michael Brown were retrieved from the selected outlets, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the St Louis Post-Dispatch. Textual and content analyses were performed.FindingsThe articles heavily followed the paradigm. An additional characteristic, blame attribution, was also identified. Language of crime, lawlessness, violence, blame for nearby acts of violence, and inflammatory quotes from bystanders and official sources were often present. There was little discussion of key issues associated with the formation of BLM.Research limitations/implicationsMainstream outlets rather than social media or alternative outlets were examined. Future research should study coverage of BLM in other outlets.Practical implicationsMeasures to avoid marginalizing protests and racialization of coverage, including increased diversity in the newsroom and monitoring for racialized language are suggested.Social implicationsRacialization of news and coverage of BLM has widespread negative consequences, such as association of Blacks with criminality that may affect their quality of life. The protest paradigm has the ability to squelch participation in social movements, which have the possibility to bring about needed social change.Originality/valueThis interdisciplinary paper highlights the important role of mainstream media and news routines in affecting the BLM movement. It uses diversity research to make recommendations for media practitioners to avoid racialization of news.

Journal

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal – Emerald Publishing

Published: Nov 20, 2017

References

  • Thousands protest across country after Eric Garner grand-jury decision; anger continues over decision not to indict police offer in the death of unarmed black man
  • “Weariness of Ferguson protests grows
  • From bias to coverage: what explains how news organizations treat social movements
  • Hands up, don’t shoot, whose side are you on? Journalists tweeting the Ferguson protests
  • Mapping strategic engagements: women’s movements and the state
  • The influence of level of deviance and protest type on coverage of social protest in Wisconsin from 1960 to 1999
  • Adherence to the protest paradigm: the influence of protest goals and tactics on news coverage in US and international newspapers