Researchers have explored the impact of news coverage of the civil rights movement and its influence on public and social opinion. A researcher from Princeton University’s political science department, Omar Wasow, suggested that the media covered civil rights protests in the 1960s in different ways depending on whether protests were peaceful or violent. He argued that when protestors remained peaceful, particularly in the face of aggression and violence, the resulting images shocked a complacent nation into action. But when the protestors themselves turned violent, even in self-defense, the media message shifted from a framing around civil rights to one around the need for control. 

One glaring example of this coverage was the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. on April 4, 1968, which triggered weeklong violent protests around the country. Legacy newspapers across the country viewed the violent protests as civil disorder, focusing on the mayhem and destruction of the inner cities such as Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles by out-of-control Black citizens. Moreover, they dictated how anti-Black actions were viewed all over the country by portraying or fabricating the most offensive side of violence as necessary to protect a distressed and victimized white community. 

Other news organizations elsewhere either validated the false narrative or remained silent. The stories, photographs and cartoons depicted Black youths looting stores, burning police cars and destroying buildings in their own communities. In contrast, editors of small Black newspapers like the Chicago Defender, the Baltimore Afro-American and the New Courier, and two magazines, Jet and Ebony, focused on the injustices and the inequality between Black and White America. Although these papers had small budgets and limited staff, they attempted to direct America’s focus on the need for improved housing, education and employment. They also depicted civil unrest as a natural response for help from its most vulnerable citizens experiencing racism.

On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. In particular, Officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nine minutes and thirty seconds as Floyd yelled that he could not breathe and, with his final breath, begged for his mother before he died. Bystanders surrounded the scene taking videos and pictures, yelling at the officers to stop. The videos of his murder quickly went viral across social media platforms, which sparked massive, widespread protests against police brutality and racism. Over 15 million people marched in cities across the country chanting “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice, no peace” while holding signs of Floyd’s face and the countless other Black people murdered by police, marking it the largest protest in United States history. The coverage of Floyd’s murder and the ensuing marches differed between legacy and Black-owned news outlets. 

Initially, legacy papers like Fox News attempted to frame the issue around George Floyd’s carceral background and the alleged crime of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill to justify law enforcement conduct. When the Black Lives Matter protests erupted across the nation, Fox News, along with similar legacy papers, painted it as a riot. The narrative was that these majority Black protestors were dangerous and posed a legitimate threat to American values. They consistently showcased looting and emphasized that the protestors were causing destruction. Across their platforms, they posted videos of burnt police cars, broken glass, people tear gassed and law enforcement seemingly-valiantly standing their ground. 

In contrast, the National Newspaper Publisher Association, consisting of over 205 community African American owned newspapers from the Birmingham Times to the Dallas Examiner, assembled columnists, photographers and videographers to cover the protests in a more thorough manner. These media professionals framed Floyd as a family man by highlighting pictures of his five children. Additionally, they acknowledged his struggle within the justice system but maintained the narrative that his past did not define him nor justify his murder. Photos during protests focused less on the incidents of looting but instead highlighted the purpose of the protests: to defend human rights. Pictures featured on their social platforms were of people across all different backgrounds holding hands, marching in unison. They drew comparison to the civil rights marches of the 1960’s. Throughout that summer, Black-owned news organizations worked diligently, posting pictures of a mural of Floyd in Pakistan and protests in London, Australia and Madrid.

When it comes to the news coverage of the Black Lives Matter initiated protests, the Pew Research Center found that over seven in 10 black adults (72%) believed the media did a good or excellent job covering the demonstrations. The influence of social media and the immediate response to events has shifted the power of media to hold them more accountable. For example, as mentioned earlier, legacy media during the Martin Luther King Jr. protest were able to control the messaging and focus on the violent aspect. However, with the Black Lives Matter movement, and with social media and global participation, the public’s lens has changed. Even with the violent aspect of the protest, public opinion has shifted in that 44% of Americans thought the acts of violence and destruction received too much attention. Conversely, 51% said nonviolent protests were getting too little coverage. This social shift has forced legacy media to rethink their narrative and explore the context in which the protests are started.