The Movement and the Media: Framing the Debate Over Animal Experimentation

Abstract

Mass media play an important role in determining both what type of activities a social movement organization engages in and the timing of those activities. In addition, the media help to set the context in which audience attitudes regarding movements are formed. This article examines the connections between the mass media and the animal rights movement in the United States. After discussing media practices and their role in movement activities, the article examines national newsmagazine and television coverage from 1984 to 1993 regarding the debate over animal experimentation. Newsmagazines and television news granted less political standing to challengers and framed events in the same way. However, newsmagazines were more likely to place incidents in broader context and draw connections between events; television presented them in a more isolated manner.