Media Frames and Minority Influence: Unraveling the Impact of Protest Paradigm Framing on Identification with Anti-Speciesism Movement
33 Pages Posted: 26 Mar 2024
Abstract
The present research examines through experimental approach the effects of protest paradigm framing (i.e., the negative, stereotypical coverage of protests by the media) on audience’s identification with a protest event and group and the social movement represented by the protest. Participants (N=280) were randomly allocated in two experimental groups and presented with a text covering the same protest event of the minority group (anti-speciesism organization). One group was exposed to an article which adhered to protest paradigm aspects, while the other group read a more balanced article on the same protest event. Results reveal statistically significant (p =.001) intergroup differences in perceived image of protest group characteristics and identification with protest and social movement of antispeciesism, controlled for individual political ideology. A hypothesized multiple serial mediation model was examined and results indicate that protest coverage framing is indirectly related to identification with the protest event through minority’s both perceived negotiation flexibility and consistency of beliefs, which affect the audience’s evaluation of the minority/protest group’s radical character and image as a threat to social stability. The ways the representations of minority groups through media as rigid, violent and radical act as a mechanism of blocking minority influence are further discussed.
Keywords: Media, protest paradigm, minority influence, antispeciesism
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