Sample: Networks
The sample examines the three nightly national evening news programs.
These three news programs were selected because they cover news stories across the country and represent a highly curated and selective rundown of the day’s news.Â
Sample: Dates
The sample covers May 26, 2020, when the protests began, to June 7, 2020, one day after the peak of protest participation.
George Floyd is killed by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, with officers Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lange also at the scene. Bystanders capture video of the incident.
The ABC, CBS, and NBC nightly news programs cover George Floyd's death on their newscasts the evening following the incident.
The four Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's death are fired.
In response to instances of looting and arson, the National Guard is called into Minneapolis.
Fire is set to the 3rd Precinct police headquarters in Minneapolis late Thursday night. Coverage enters the newscasts on the next day.
Derek Chauvin is arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
CNN's correspondent, Omar Jimenez, is arrested on live television as he and his crew were reporting on the George Floyd protests.
The evening news programs continue to cover the protests in response to George Floyd's murders. Slugs read, "Rage in the Streets" (ABC), "Violence Increases Across U.S. After George Floyd's Death" (CBS), and "Rage Across America" (NBC).
Two college students leaving downtown Atlanta were tased and dragged out of their vehicle before they had an opportunity to follow officers' orders.
Press personnel increasingly become subjects of aggressive police tactics, including tear gas and rubber bullets.
Federal police officers use tear gas to clear protestors from Lafayette Park. Protestors are not given a warning to disperse.
Derek Chauvin's charges are upgraded to include second-degree murder. Officers Tou Thao, Alexander Kueng, and Thomas Lane are charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Buffalo police officers push a 75-year-old protestor to the ground, hospitalizing him for nearly four weeks.
An estimated 26 million people across the nation participate in the protests, making it the largest social justice movement in U.S. history.
Protests continue to be held across the U.S. as protestors demand changes to policing practices and funding.