Tracing Protest Motivations: Studying the Link Between Media Coverage and Frames of Protest Participants

• In Event: How Framing Can Influence Advocacy and Protest

Abstract

The study examines to what extent and how frames of protest participants are affected by media coverage of the protest issue prior to the demonstration. This particular link between movements and media is largely unexplored, plus recent research suggests we should look beyond frames of protest organizers to explain activists’ beliefs. Data from protest surveys are combined with content analyses of the protest organizers’ pamphlets and newspapers articles regarding fourteen anti-austerity demonstrations in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Results show that frames in the media influence the frames protesters use to make sense of their participation. While the media frames of organizers do not matter, statements of opposition parties and people affected by the protest issue do shape participants’ frames. Surprisingly, division within government about issues decreases the amount of protesters motivated by these frames.

Author

• Pauline Ketelaars, University of Antwerp