Mainstream Protest Reporting in the Contemporary Media Environment: Exploring (In)Stability and Adherence to Protest Paradigm From 1998 to 2017

Abstract

This study uses content analysis of protest coverage and sourcing practices by five major U.S. daily newspapers over the past two decades (1998–2017) to examine the prevalence and evolution of a set of devices of representation present in news coverage of protest groups. They have been traditionally ascribed to a pattern of mainstream coverage deemed marginalizing of protest groups, the “protest paradigm.” The study concludes that the prevalence of marginalizing devices is stable over time, and that the degree of adherence to the paradigm in news stories systematically varies across protest type and geography. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Keywords

protest coverage protest paradigm mainstream coverage deviance marginalizing portrayals

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