ABSTRACT

This study tests the impact of protest news frames on audience support for a civil rights movement. Using a 3 x 2 experimental design, we explored how frames and visuals affect audiences’ criticism of police and protesters, support for, and identification with the movement. Findings show that articles with a legitimizing debate frame increase support for protesters, identification with protesters, and police criticism compared to articles with riot and confrontation frames. Riot and confrontation frames increase criticism towards protesters, decrease support for and identification with the movement, and decrease police criticism. We also considered predispositions towards Black people, the police, and social movements in general as essential to understanding support. Results revealed prior levels of support for the movement influenced criticism of police action and support for and identification with protestors more than media frames. As such, we argue that preexisting attitudes about actors in a news story are essential variables to consider in protest coverage effects research.

摘要

这项研究测试了抗议新闻帧对支持民权运动的观众的影响。我们使用3 x 2的实验设计，探索了框架和视觉效果如何影响观众对警察和抗议者的批评，对运动的支持以及对运动的认同。研究结果表明，与具有骚乱和对抗框架的文章相比，具有合法辩论框架的文章增加了对抗议者的支持，对抗议者的认同以及警察的批评。暴动和对抗框架增加了对抗议者的批评，减少了对该运动的支持和认同，并减少了警察的批评。我们还认为，对黑人，警察和一般社会运动的倾向对于理解支持至关重要。结果显示，对运动的先前支持程度对警察行动的批评以及对抗议者的支持和认同的影响大于媒体框架。因此，我们认为新闻报道中对演员的先前态度是在抗议报道效果研究中必须考虑的基本变量。