Protests, Media Coverage, and a Hierarchy of Social Struggle

Media coverage is more disparaging of Black and indigenous rights movements compared to others.

“Danielle Brown and Summer Harlow (2019) find media coverage is more disparaging of Black and indigenous rights movements compared to others.”

BLM leaders confront the controlling images of Black criminality and racialized threat.

“BLM leaders confront the controlling images of Black criminality and racialized threat (Beckett and Sasson 2004; Brown and Harlow 2019; Russell-Brown 1998; Phelps and Hamilton 2022).”

Many mainstream news outlets follow the protest paradigm and rely on official sources, such as police and politicians, to provide legitimacy to stories.

“Although many mainstream news outlets follow the protest paradigm and rely on official sources, such as police and politicians, to provide legitimacy to stories”

Protests concerning racial injustice typically receive more negative coverage than protests on other topics.

“Brown and Harlow (2019) found that protests concerning racial injustice typically receive more negative coverage than protests on other topics.”

Official sources are commonly used by journalists because they are easy to access and provide the illusion of objectivity; however, these sources often delegitimize protests and exclude the voices and goals of demonstrators.

“Official sources are commonly used by journalists because they are easy to access and provide the illusion of objectivity; however, these sources often delegitimize protests and exclude the voices and goals of demonstrators (Brown and Harlow 2019;Brown et al. 2019;McLeod and Hertog 1999).”

Official sources are commonly used by journalists because they are easy to access and provide the illusion of objectivity; however, these sources often delegitimize protests and exclude the voices and goals of demonstrators.

“Official sources are commonly used by journalists because they are easy to access and provide the illusion of objectivity; however, these sources often delegitimize protests and exclude the voices and goals of demonstrators (Brown and Harlow 2019;Brown et al. 2019;McLeod and Hertog 1999).”

Many mainstream news outlets follow the protest paradigm and rely on official sources, such as police and politicians, to provide legitimacy to stories.

“Although many mainstream news outlets follow the protest paradigm and rely on official sources, such as police and politicians, to provide legitimacy to stories”