Images of Violence

Exploring how nightly news programs represented the George Floyd protests.

93% Peaceful Protests

Protests in response to the murder of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 were overwhelmingly peaceful.^1.1

And by June 6, 2020, the protests had grown into the largest social justice movement in U.S. history.^1.2

29% Images of Violence

Despite predominantly peaceful protests, violent imagery was
prevalent across national nightly broadcast news coverage.

The research project analyzes the images used in coverage of the summer 2020 Black Lives Matter protests to understand how broadcast journalists are representing the movement.

Background

Media Focuses on Negative Protestor Behavior

Protest movements, particularly those that challenge the status quo, often face misrepresentation by the media, which tends to emphasize disruptive and violent displays in its coverage.

Television News Selects Eye-Catching, Dramatic Visuals

While previous research has examined how the Black Lives Matter movement has been portrayed by news coverage, few studies have examined the visuals selected.

Background

Media Focuses on Negative Protestor Behavior

Protest movements, particularly those that challenge the status quo, often face misrepresentation by the media, which tends to emphasize disruptive and violent displays in its coverage.

Television News Selects Eye-Catching, Dramatic Visuals

While previous research has examined how the Black Lives Matter movement has been portrayed by news coverage, few studies have examined the visuals selected.