Agenda setting and selective resonance – Black Lives Matter and media debates on racism in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore how the 2020 wave of BLM mobilisations has impacted the media debates on racism in Germany. We analyse overall shifts in the salience of racism and the resonance of key frames articulated by BLM protesters. Drawing from a mix of quantitative content analysis and semi-structured interviews, we find evidence that the BLM protests have changed the public debate on racism in Germany through agenda setting and reframing. Firstly, our data documents that the salience of racism in public debates increased after the protests. Secondly, specific movement frames, especially the distinction of anti-Black racism as one particular form of racism, became increasingly visible. Yet, resonance of frames has remained selective with some being hardly picked up in media debates. The article bridges insights from social movements, media, race and ethnicity studies to advance interdisciplinary scholarship on social and cultural change induced by collective action.