ABSTRACT

This study tests the impact of protest news frames on audience support for a civil rights movement. Using a 3 × 2 experimental design, we explored how frames and visuals affect audiences’ criticism of police and protesters, support for, and identification with the movement. Findings showed that articles with a legitimizing debate frame increased support for protesters, identification with protesters, and police criticism compared to articles with riot and confrontation frames. Riot and confrontation frames increase criticism toward protesters, decreased support for and identification with the movement, and decrease police criticism. We also considered predispositions toward 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框架对观众对民权运动的支持的影响。使用 3 × 2 实验设计，我们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、对运动的支持和认同。调查结果表明，与具有骚乱和对抗框架的文章相比，具有合法化辩论框架的文章增加了对抗议者的支持、对抗议者的认同和对警察的批评。骚乱和对抗框架增加了对抗议者的批评，减少了对运动的支持和认同，并减少了警察的批评。我们还考虑了对黑人、警察和一般社会运动的倾向对理解支持至关重要。结果显示，先前对该运动的支持程度比媒体框架更能影响对警察行动的批评以及对抗议者的支持和认同。因此，我们认为在新闻报道中对演员的预先存在的态度是抗议报道效果研究中需要考虑的重要变量。