Framing Contests Research Articles

Turning Point Mechanisms in a Dualistic Process Model of Institutional Emergence: The Case of the Diesel Particulate Filter in Germany

Based on an in-depth case study investigating the emergence of a normative institution, namely the diesel particulate filter (DPF) as a de facto standard for diesel cars in Germany, this paper develops a dualistic process model of institutional emergence which reflects the fundamental oppositional character of institutional actors involved in a series of framing contests. The proposed model features distinct phases punctuated by turning point mechanisms that shape the process leading to institutional emergence. Three specific turning point mechanisms were identified: local objectification, movement legitimacy and critical actors taking action. This model provides a novel perspective on institutional emergence in that it explains shifts in contestation and the emergence of an institution as a temporal resolution reached through coercion rather than out of a consensus as several institutionalization models assume. The results also suggest that the industry under attack from a social movement tends to deploy buffering strategies in an attempt to protect itself. Finally, we outline future directions for studying processes around contested fields and turning point mechanisms.

Framing Contests and Cumulation in Institutional Emergence: The Case of the Diesel Particulate Filter in Germany

Based on an in-depth case study, this paper examines how framing contests between proponents and opponents of the Diesel particulate filter (DPF) in Germany evolve over time to affect institution creation. Our results suggest that the emergence of institution passes through three cumulative phases: necessary opening, organizing-mobilizing, instrumentalization of channels. This development is characterized by specific framing contests where the precedent phase is a necessary condition for the next to occur, a process which we conceptualize as cumulation. Our data indicate that framing contests were resolved when collective action frames which have a motivational task were crafted by the social movement with the effect of mobilizing customers, thereby creating a de facto standard i.e. the Diesel particulate filter. We argue that the motivational frame resonated because it features negative individualized evidence-based consequences and because it built on the framing contests of previous phases. Finally, we observed that framing contests tend to polarize over time, thereby reflecting the intensity of the conflict.

SHARING THE PAIN OR SHOULDERING THE BURDEN?

This article draws on the concept of framing to analyse Irish print-media coverage of the public and private sectors in the first two years of Ireland's economic crisis, 2008–2010. It examines the underlying framing contest among institutional sources (Government, Opposition, trade unions, employers’ groups, and financial services) to win favourable coverage for their sectional interests and ideological arguments about the size, role and obligations of the State. The research is based on a content and cluster analysis of a substantial sample of articles from quality and mid-market Irish daily and Sunday newspapers. The article offers concluding comments on the explanatory robustness of the dominant news-model in Ireland in the face of a process on the scale of the economic crisis.

Testing, Contesting and Legitimizing Technology Diffusion in Regulated Environments

Based on a longitudinal case study approach, this paper shows that the legitimation processes of technology diffusion in regulated environments is subjected to distinct power struggles manifested in different framing contests when several competing technological frames are crafted, are contradictory and attempt at capturing the same resources. We show that technology framing contests increase ambiguity which may in turn spark the need to rely on technology testing in order to bring a resolution of the debate, to lower ambiguity and to provide legitimacy to the purpose and benefits of a technology. Furthermore, we show that when framing contests over diffusion cannot be resolved through legitimated means, institution testing may come into play. This is likely to occur when the cultural-cognitive legitimacy of a technology has acquired sufficient force to trump regulatory legitimacy.

Risk, expert uncertainty, and Australian news media: public and private faces of expert opinion during the 2009 swine flu pandemic

During the outbreak of emerging infectious diseases scientists and public health officials play a key role in informing communities about what is happening, why and what they can do about it, and the news media are critical to how expert knowledge is presented to the public. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the media-oriented practices of experts and to gauge their perceptions of risk communication during public health emergencies. This study investigates the experiences of scientists and public health officials who were sources for the Australian news media during the 2009 pH1N1 (swine flu) pandemic. The paper discusses the perception among some participants that their colleagues were ‘toeing the party’ line as distinct from offering individual ‘expert opinion’, and identifies the different meanings they associated with responsible expert risk communication. In their encounters with the media some indicated frustration with news media constraints, while others demonstrated an internalization of the kind of skills required to play the ‘media game’. The paper discusses the ways in which scientific experts balanced their roles and responsibilities in the context of institutional pressures to be an active media performer. The study affirms the importance of looking beyond media texts and to the activities and perceptions of media sources in order to fully appreciate framing contests, especially when there is a suggestion that dissenting views on disease risk are restricted from entering public debate.

Making sense of nonsense: experiences of mild cognitive impairment

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a stigmatised condition popularly assumed to be a death sentence for diagnosed individuals. Consequently, people with AD are often deemed incapable (and perhaps unworthy) of contributing to the social discourse surrounding their illness experience. Data from qualitative interviews with 18 people diagnosed with the potential precursor of AD known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are examined. Using grounded theory methods, analysis revealed overarching themes of uncertainty concerning definitions of memory loss, MCI, and AD as well as distinctions between normal ageing and dementia. While this confusion over the terminology and prognosis mirrors the lack of scientific consensus about nosology and appropriate treatment regimens, such ambiguity creates social and psychological tensions for diagnosed individuals. Arguably, participants' unequivocal fear of and subsequent desire to differentiate their experiences from Alzheimer's, however, stems from the exclusively negative social constructions of AD. Drawing from Goffman, these findings demonstrate the psychosocial impact of 'framing contests' and how 'courtesy stigma' can apply not only to associated persons but also associated conditions, such as MCI to AD. Given the underlying nosological creep - or medicalisation - of the recent diagnostic guidelines proposing two new pre-dementia stages, understanding the illness narratives of MCI is critical.

Bilingualism on display: The framing of Welsh and English in Welsh public spaces

AbstractThis article develops an interpretive perspective on public displays of bilingualism. Photographic data from contemporary Wales illustrate how public bilingual—Welsh and English—displays are organized in different frames, reflecting historically changing language-ideological priorities and more local symbolic markets. In institutionally driven displays, the Welsh language is framed as an autonomous code in parallel with English, displacing an earlier pattern of representing Welsh subordinated to English norms. In other frames Welsh is constructed as the only legitimate heartland language, or as an impenetrable cultural curiosity. In the most open and least institutionalized frame, Welsh is displayed as part of a culturally distinctive but syncretic cultural system. These framing contests dramatize deeper tensions that surface in attempts to revitalize minority languages under globalization. (Wales, Welsh, bilingualism, language display, language ideology, linguistic landscapes, metaculture)*

Communicating strategically in the face of terrorism: The Spanish government's response to the 2004 Madrid bombing attacks

With the re-emergence of insurgency tied to terrorism, governments need to strategically manage their communications. This paper analyzes the effect of the Spanish government's messaging in the face of the Madrid bombing of March 11, 2004: unlike what happened with the 9/11 bombings in the USA and the 7/07 London attacks, the Spanish media did not support the government's framing of the events. Taking framing as a strategic action in a discursive form (Pan & Kosicki, 2003), and in the context of the attribution theory of responsibilities, this research uses the “cascading activation” model (Entman, 2003, 2004) to explore how a framing contest was generated in the press. Analysis of the coverage shows that the intended government frame triggered a battle among the different major newspapers, leading editorials to shift their frame over the four days prior to the national elections. This research analyzes strategic contests in framing processes and contributes insight into the interactions among the different sides (government, parties, media, and citizens) to help bring about an understanding of the rebuttal effect of the government's intended frame. It also helps to develop an understanding of the role of the media and the influence of citizens’ frames on media content.

Framing expertise: a cross‐cultural analysis of success in framing contests

PurposeThis article seeks to analyse the skills and knowledge that have a positive impact on the reproduction of the core frames of social actors in the mass media.Design/methodology/approachThe theoretical discussion is accompanied by a cross‐cultural case study of the debate surrounding the leaked e‐mail correspondence between climate researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in 2009. First, the authors analysed the framing work of the three main actors with their respective views, namely UEA and the blogs “Real climate”, “Climate audit” and “The air vent”. Second, they conducted an analysis of the media coverage of the issue in the UK, the USA, Germany and Norway, focusing on the importance of cultural factors, psychological biases and conformity to journalistic needs.FindingsThe literature review came to the conclusion that public relations practitioners stand good chances to succeed with their framing when they are able to conceive a message in a way that: is resonant with the underlying culture; appeals to psychological biases; and conforms to journalistic needs. The authors use “framing expertise” as an umbrella term for the knowledge and the skills related to these aspects when designing and promoting frames. In the case study, these theoretical assumptions were tested. While three different frames dominated the discourse, no clear winner of the framing contest was observed. Though qualitative differences in their framing expertise were noted, the frames of all of the strategic actors were accepted in the media, perhaps due to the norms of journalistic balance.Research limitationsAs this study is based on a single case, more research is needed to back up the findings and elaborate on the knowledge and skills needed when framing an issue.Originality/valueThe article pulls together, discusses and elaborates on a body of literature that thus far has been scattered, and makes contributions towards a better understanding of what it is that public relations practitioners actually do.

The Tea Party Movement, Framing, and the US Media

In February 2009, the Tea Party Movement (TPM) burst onto the political scene in the USA. Emerging out of popular unrest over the economic downturn of 2008 and the perceived radical agenda of President Barack Obama, the Tea Party quickly captured the imagination of disenchanted conservatives. Media coverage of the movement was abundant, with a frame contest between the TPM and its political opponents swiftly surfacing. Media frames bracketed discussions over the authenticity of the Tea Party, the composition of its members, the movement's message, and whether the TPM was poised for a long-term impact. This study systematically analyzes the predominant media frames that materialized in 882 news packets from nine major print and television news sources between 19 February 2009 and 30 November 2010 in order to better understand the role the US media played in defining the Tea Party, and to determine whether Tea Party perceptions of its media coverage were accurate. Four sets of diametric frames appeared in the media—the Everyday American vs. Non-Mainstream, Grassroots vs. Establishment-Affiliated, Fiscal-Federal Frustrations vs. Amalgam of Grievances, and Election Impact vs. Flash in the Pan. Overall, the TPM succeeded in mobilizing symbolic media representations to advance their goals, achieving politically propitious coverage. US media depicted the TPM with supportive frames more than twice as often as the deprecatory characterizations the activists opposed. This study investigates how the media used these frames and discusses implications of Tea Party coverage as it relates to journalistic norms, social activism, and overarching framing processes.

Framing obesity: the framing contest between industry and public health at the New Zealand inquiry into obesity

Drawing on submissions to the 2006-2007 New Zealand Inquiry into Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes, this article outlines how the food and marketing industries (industry) and the public health sector framed the issue of obesity. The analysis revealed that industry framed obesity as a consequence of poor lifestyle choices attributed largely to knowledge, cultural or other character deficits. Industry argued that lack of physical activity rather than increased food consumption was the dominant cause of obesity. In contrast, public health groups positioned obesity as a normal response to an obesogenic environment, characterized by the ubiquitous marketing and availability of low-cost, energy-dense/nutrient-poor foods. For public health groups, increased consumption of energy-dense/nutrient-poor foods was positioned as the dominant cause of obesity. Many public health submitters also suggested that social inequalities contributed to obesity. Industry emphasized education as the key solution to obesity, while public health groups argued for regulation of the activities of the food and marketing industries, and policies to address wider determinants of health and social inequalities. Identifying and documenting these frames, by making transparent the interests of the frame's sponsors, contributes to greater understanding of the wider policy context around obesity and provides useful information for public health advocacy.

Lessons from the story of early child development: Domain decisions and framing youth development

This article maintains that effective communications strategy derives from a complex understanding of frame coherence. In particular, this understanding calls for a closer examination of the ways in which the "pictures in people's heads" are activated by exposure to a key arena of frame contestation: the issue domain. Drawing from FrameWorks' research on child development, the authors show that by choosing to align child development with specific domains, advocates may serve to further entrench public thinking in ways that imperil expert policy recommendations. Parallel cautions are drawn for youth issues, with further research from the FrameWorks portfolio. While aligning child and adolescent development with health, workforce, or education may result in further news coverage to those policies, research suggests it may also depress support for those same public policies.

Queer Tales of Morality: The Press, Same-Sex Marriage, and Hegemonic Framing

The framing contest of claims makers in the same-sex marriage debate offers the opportunity to examine the role of power and the cultural context in framing. Content and frame analyses of stories from daily papers and wire services, and textual analysis of marriage in stories published in the states with anti-same-sex marriage ballot initiatives reveal that although same-sex marriage-friendly frames appear more often than traditional-marriage frames, it is the latter that set the parameters of the debate. Coverage does little to challenge hegemonic heteronormative definitions of marriage, and it is the study's mixed-methods approach that reveals the complexities of the ideological characterization of the debate.

Media Visibility and the Scope of Accountability

This article examines the role of the news media in enforcing different forms of accountability, such as political, professional, and legal, in crisis situations. It is argued that demands for accountability cannot be regarded as merely procedural, since these demands often depend on how social actors define events, how they assign blame to wrongdoing, and how they attribute responsibilities for perceived problems. Taking into consideration a case of extreme urban violence that was broadcast live during four hours—the hijacking of the 174 Bus line in Rio de Janeiro on 12 June 2000—this study evinces that frame contestation and public debate that occurs through news media, supported by critical actors in the public sphere, play an important role in activating political accountability. The findings show the conflicting role of the news media in societies where democracy is being constructed, as they may support accountability mechanisms that become mere façades as well as civic demands for democratic innovation.

Business and the Public Affairs of Slavery: A Discursive Approach of an Ethical Public Issue

This article aims at understanding how “ethical public issues” are created, and dealt within a public arena. Here, we view ethical public issues as social constructs, which are the results of issue framing contests. Such an approach will enable us to understand how ethical public issues emerge and are shaped by strategizing actors (including firms, NGOs, the media, and governments), in an attempt to impose their own definition and preferred solution to the issue. We also propose key factors which explain the success of a framing attempt, and evidence of such success. The empirical case of the labor conditions in West Africa’s cocoa industry is used to illustrate this theoretical framework and methodological approach.

Crisis exploitation: political and policy impacts of framing contests

When societies are confronted with major, disruptive emergencies, the fate of politicians and public policies hangs in the balance. Both government actors and their critics will try to escape blame for their occurrence, consolidate/strengthen their political capital, and advance/defend the policies they stand for. Crises thus generate framing contests to interpret events, their causes, and the responsibilities and lessons involved in ways that suit their political purposes and visions of future policy directions. This article dissects these processes and articulates foundations for a theory of crisis exploitation. Drawing on 15 cases of crisis-induced framing contests, we identify potentially crucial factors that may explain both the political (effects on incumbent office-holders/institutions) and policy (effects on programs) impacts of crises.

Framing Contests: Strategy Making Under Uncertainty

I develop a model of framing contests to elucidate how cognitive frames influence organizational strategy making. By using ethnographic techniques to study the day-to-day practices of strategy making in one firm, I examine the ways actors attempted to transform their own cognitive frames of a situation into predominant frames through a series of interactions. Frames are the means by which managers make sense of ambiguous information from their environments. Actors each had cognitive frames about the direction the market was taking and about what kinds of solutions would be appropriate. Where frames about a strategic choice were not congruent, actors engaged in highly political framing practices to make their frames resonate and to mobilize action in their favor. Those actors who most skillfully engaged in these practices shaped the frame that prevailed in the organization. This framing perspective suggests that frames are not only instrumental tools for the ex post justification of actions taken through power, but rather are an ex ante part of the political process that produces decisions. Uncertainty opens up the possibility for new actors to gain power, and contesting frames is a way of changing the power structures in the organization. A principal contribution of the framing contests model is to locate a middle ground between cognitive and political models of strategy making, one in which frames are both constraints and resources and outcomes can be shaped by purposeful action and interaction to make meaning.

Global Problem: National Accountability: Framing Accountability in the Australian Context of Climate Change

Climate change has been seen as a crisis looming in the future, and has therefore not reached the top of the political agenda. This no longer holds true when looking at Australia, where climate change has become high politics. In this paper we examine the Australian electoral debate in terms of accountability framing, where the Government and Opposition were involved in a ‘framing contest’. We argue that theories on accountability framing in crisis need to be modified in order to capture the complex dynamics of climate change due to its inherent scientific uncertainty and global nature. After conducting an inductive analysis of Australian Broadcasting Corporation‐reporting we found three themes to be of importance for accountability framing in the ‘risk society’: labeling, linking and coping.

Imag(in)ing September 11

This study analyzes the Denver Post's reportage on the frame contest between the dominant narrative of the September 11 terrorist attacks set out by President Bush and a challenge to that narrative in an Internet essay by Professor Ward Churchill. The authors find that by refusing to interrogate Churchill's sociopolitical argument, reducing it to the offensive rhetorical trope “little Eichmanns” he used to describe the victims of the attacks, and pillorying Churchill as a person and scholar, the Post assured his counterframe would not achieve parity with the dominant frame. The authors interpret this as an example of media hegemony and situate the Post's coverage within a crisis of hegemony that left the “sacred core” of the Bush frame—American innocence and moral exceptionalism—vulnerable to contestation. Because the Churchill counterframe flagrantly transgressed that “sacred core,” it became the irresistible target of media hegemony strategies by the Denver Post.

Environmental Justice and Social Power Rhetoric in the Moral Battle over Whaling*

This study examines the ideological battle between the Makah Indian Tribe and anti‐whaling activists over the Tribe's quest to resume its 2000‐year‐old tradition of hunting gray whales for traditional and ceremonial purposes. Through qualitative discourse analysis of 268 newspaper articles, this study analyzes the competing rhetoric surrounding the indigenous whaling issue and exposes fundamental differences in how the opposing campaigns frame their arguments. This study contributes to the literature on social movements and environmental justice in two primary ways. First, this article exposes the social power dynamics and experientially based assumptions inherent in the “framing contests” of competing social movements that comprised those from diverse racial, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Second, this article expands existing work in the field of environmental justice to include American Indian issues and concerns.