Media coverage of protests can shape how people understand a movement and the politics surrounding it. But it is also important to highlight the ways that protesters can challenge media narratives, as well as skewed perceptions of them. For example, protesters can highlight issues that are not being covered, bringing awareness to the public about unaddressed problems or perspectives.
The media tends to cover protests that are viewed as negative by the mainstream audience, such as anti-government/corruption or socio-economic movements. This phenomenon is known as the protest paradigm, and it has been shown to demonize protesters and their causes, according to research.
In the case of campus encampments, for example, the media’s penchant for sensationalism was evident early on. Reports focused on clashes and confrontations between students and university officials, rather than on student grievances or the underlying issues that motivated the encampments. This is likely due to the fact that it is difficult for reporters to connect with protesters, who often do not have dedicated media teams. The old journalism adage “if it bleeds, it leads” is still alive and well in newsrooms across the country.
But these dynamics are shifting, as more and more protesters embrace social media to share their stories, and traditional news organizations shift their reporting habits. A new study, examining both the traditional and social media, has found that a partial paradigm shift toward less dramatic protest coverage is underway, driven by personal testimonies in legacy media and portrait photos on social media platforms that create a sense of closeness and accountability.