Framing Use of Force: An Analysis of News Organizations’ Social Media Posts About Police Shootings

• In Event: Framing Contest, Conflict and Crisis

Abstract

This research is a systematic investigation of reporting on police use of force incidents posted by news organizations to social media. A sample of tweets and Facebook posts appearing on the social media accounts of top news outlets (N = 500) over the course of a year was analyzed. Rationalizations for use of force, characterizations of police and victims, and contextual framing were examined. Results revealed medium-based differences in challenging police actions, as well as demonstrated the limitations of short form social media in communicating news on complex issues. Implications of these findings for theory and journalistic practice are discussed.

Authors

• Erin Ash, Clemson Univerity

• Yiwei Xu, Clemson U

• Alexandria Jenkins, Clemson U

• Chenjerai Kumanyika, Rutgers U - School of Communication and Information