Ongoing studies by a researcher and journalism educator at Michigan State University reveal that public support and perception of the Black Lives Matter movement is affected by the way reporters cover BLM protests.
While journalists are key to U.S. democracy, Assistant Professor of Journalism Rachel Mourão said they also shape attitudes toward Black civil rights protests based on the focus of their coverage. Mourão drew her conclusions from content analyses of large circulation and local papers starting with the 2014 Ferguson unrest up to the death of George Floyd 2020. Her research also analyzed the effects of media framing and visual communication on BLM support and on social media behaviors.
Read more on the College of Communication Arts and Sciences website.