Changing the way Protests are Covered

Jacob Motta

jm186818@ohio.edu

 

Americans have a right to protest because of the laws laid out in the constitution. There have been protests that changed the course of history in the United States and I believe that we are witnessing life-changing protests once again. 

Protesting is a way for people to express their feelings no matter the situation. Change can only happen when enough people bring it to attention. Protesting has brought attention to social, and racial injustices in the past, just the same as it is doing today. It is important to bring these issues to light to create change and equality for all people.

There are times where the media can cover protests and twist and turn the meaning of them into something that their viewers want to hear. If we take Fox News and CNN for example, Fox News will make the BLM protests seem like riots that are full of criminals because of its conservative-leaning viewers, and CNN will make the protests seem like a group of innocent people setting out to create change, all while doing everything the right way. In an article posted by Nieman Lab, it is said that "The role of protest is to publicize grievances from people who typically exist outside of traditional power structures." This should be the focus of all media coverage on protests, to publicize the grievances of people looking for justice

Picture source: CNN

In another article published by Next City, it is said that "Journalists pay little attention to protests that aren't dramatic or unconventional." This is an issue across the board for the media because it can then lead protestors to violence to capture the attention that they deserve. When protests turn violent, that is when other media outlets can then turn the protest into something it was not meant to be. It could turn into the coverage of crime, and the focus could be turned away from the original protest. 

Journalists should try to find out exactly what is being protested, or what the protest is for, and report on that. It is important to create change in the world that way everyone can be treated equally and unfair coverage does nothing but fuel the fire, and create more problems. Protests should be covered before people are lead to extremes in order to be noticed, that way they do not turn violent, and so people are able to let their voices be heard. 

In American history, there have been many different makers that have had their voices heard in the form of protests. One example is Martin Luther King Jr. he lead many protests in order to get equality for African Americans, as well as equality for all. His voice was brought to light because of the protests that he lead, and the course of history was changed because of the things that he did. It is only fair that journalists be the microphone that amplifies the voice of the unheard and covers the issues that need to be addressed in our society.