Social Movements and the News Media

Abstract

This paper analyzes the paradoxical relationship that exists between social movements and the news media. The concept of framing is explored, particularly the ways in which social movements come to be contextually framed within the news media and the consequent impact on the social movement itself. In order to gain an understanding of the relationship between social movements and the news media, several literary frameworks were discussed. In studying thisphenomenon, coverage from an anti-poverty demonstration that took place on June 15, 2000 at Queen's Park in Toronto was utilized as a comparative case study. To gain a broader understanding of the ways in which the news media frame social movements, the coverage used was split between two popular news sources: the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. These sources were chosen due to their politically opposing orientations, and were analyzed at the level of both content analysis and discursive interpretation. The interpreted data reinforced central hypotheses concerning the political biases of the respective news sources, yet some discrepancies were noted. On the whole, it was found that the subjective framing of social movements within the news media often serve to impede or undermine the intents of the organizations.