Michael Roth
michaeljoroth@gmail.com
Protests can be some of the most influential events that occur in our history. The right to assemble and petition is written in the First Amendment of our constitution. It is absolutely necessary for citizens to preserve the right to a peaceful protest in order to create change they want to see. As a white male journalism student, many of these protests are not directly related to people who look like me.
To accurately cover protests like the Black Lives Matter protests, it's crucial that I talk and understand the stories of those who don't look like me. Speaking with those people who have seen their brothers and sisters suffer at the hands of violent law enforcement. Without attending these protests and talking to the people directly impacted by what many are fighting for, it's impossible to get a true reflection for what the march is all about. Without this, you might be inclined to do what so many journalists have done in the past, which is acknowledge the public inconvenience being disrupted by the protest. Centering protest coverage around the impact on traffic, local businesses, and property is one way that the protest-as-nuisance framing manifests. And according to the study, that “annoyance” framing increased over time — newspapers were more likely to frame a protest as a nuisance in 2007 than in 1967. The study also found that protests over liberal causes were framed as nuisances more often than protests over conservative causes. (Nieman Lab)
In 2020, it's not just simple traffic disruptions that are being highlighted over the cause being fought for. Some reporters have decided to highlight the potential spikes in COVID-19 cases due to the marches. According to CAPradio the evidence is still unclear what sort of affect protests had on the spike in Los Angelas, however some believe it had a nasty consequence. Reacting to Newsom’s mandates, conservative groups and a prominent GOP state lawmaker suggested the crowds at the demonstrations are to blame for the surge in Los Angeles and across the state — and not the churches, restaurants, salons and other businesses that were forced to shutter. (CAP radio)
 |
| Picture source: Mike Stewart, Daily Chronicle |
Another factor that keeps being brought up against black lives matter protests is the destruction and looting of public property. While it seems like these events are covered by the media, it's only a small percentage of protests that turn violent. According to TIME, 93% of black lives matter protests are peaceful. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED) analyzed more than 7,750 Black Lives Matter demonstrations in all 50 states and Washington D.C. that took place in the wake of George Floyd’s death between May 26 and August 22. By looking at the 7% that turn violent instead of the 93% that are peaceful, some people get the wrong message about what is actually happening at these protests that are trying to make change.
Michael, your blog post was very interesting and a subject that needs to be discussed. I participated in the Black Lives Matter protest in my hometown (Columbus) over the summer and I never thought about how I would cover it as a journalist. Your post was very well-written and I enjoyed the statistics you included about many of the protests being peaceful.
ReplyDelete