Media Influences How Public Views Movements

As new information about the Capitol insurrection continues to be made public, we are seeing evidence of the significant role the media played in framing the event and helping the public redefine what it views as a protest.


In an article for The Conversation, University of Minnesota Professor Danielle K. Kilgo said, “How the media portrays unrest – as riot or resistance, for example – helps shape the public’s view of the protest’s aims.” Congruent with the media’s influence around the events of January 6 have been those generated by organizations intentionally spreading false information – as in Klamath Falls, Oregon, when a white nationalist group fooled many into thinking antifa was on its way to destroy the city. (Slate.com)

The leaders of any movement, including those behind the insurrection, focus on the main levers of social and cultural change: pressuring stakeholders, influencing beliefs and norms, and co-opting opportunities (sometimes with the media) to educate and persuade institutions to change policy.

Read: Riot or resistance? The way the media frames the unrest in Minneapolis will shape the public’s view of protest

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