Cited by 101News Media Framing and Political CommunicationMedia Discourse and Social AnalysisJournalism and Media Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 41 of the 42 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

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

Leopold, Joy, Bell, Myrtle P.·2017·Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal

Abstract

Purpose: The 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/approach: Relevant 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. Findings: The 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/implications: Mainstream outlets rather than social media or alternative outlets were examined. Future research should study coverage of BLM in other outlets. Practical implications: Measures to avoid marginalizing protests and racialization of coverage, including increased diversity in the newsroom and monitoring for racialized language are suggested. Social implications: Racialization 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/value: This 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.

Overview

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Crossref · 10.1108/edi-01-2017-0010

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41 of 41 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 8

  1. 1994, Are the media really white, Media Studies Journal, 8, 81
  2. 1995, Anarchists wreak havoc in downtown Minneapolis: a multi-level study of media coverage of radical protest, Journalism & Mass Communication Monographs, 1
  3. 2016, The Riot Report and the News
  4. 2007, News coverage and social protest: how the media’s protest paradigm exacerbates social conflict, Journal of Dispute Resolution, 2007, 185
  5. McLeod, D.M. and Hertog, J.K. (1999), “Social control, social change and the mass media’s role in the regulation of protest groups”, in Demers, D.P. and Viswanath, K. (Eds), Mass Media, Social Control, and Social Change: A Macrosocial Perspective, Iowa State University Press, Ames, IA, pp. 305-330.
  6. 2016, Black Lives Matter and respectability politics in local news accounts of officer-involved civilian deaths: an early empirical assessment, Wisconsin Law Review, 541
  7. 2015, Racism and the Press
  8. 2010, Research in Social Movements, Conflicts and Change, 297

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Metadata

Authors
Leopold, J., & Bell, M. P.
Affiliations
  • University of Miami (US)
  • The University of Texas at Arlington (US)
Venue
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal
Publisher
Emerald
Published
2017-11-20
Volume
36
Issue
8
Pages
720-735
ISSN
2040-7149 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2765338677
Cited by
101
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
FWCI
10.82
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
Equality Diversity and Inclusion An International Journal (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Communication › News Media Framing and Political Communication
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Media Discourse and Social Analysis
  • Social Sciences › Communication › Journalism and Media Studies
Keywords
Black Lives Matter, news media coverage, protest paradigm, blame attribution, racialized language, mainstream newspapers, Michael Brown, newsroom diversity, social movements

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