In 1960s, celebrities were an important force to draw media attention to civil rights protests. Now, it also seems very likely that the athlete strike is helping to move media coverage of #JusticeforJacobBlake protests from a crime script to a claim for rights narrative.
For anyone interested, here’s more on why it matters whether media coverage frames protests more in terms of “rights” or “riots”.
In short, violence helps increase media attention and, as leading social movement scholar @DanielGillion has found, helps create a sense of urgency among elected officials and in the broader public.
In addition, though, my research finds that protester-initiated violence can shape whether media focus on “civil rights” or “crime and riots.”
Finally, just in case it’s helpful, here’s the tweet from @NateSilver538 about a poll which found significant support for the recent athlete strike and prompted the larger discussion.
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