Political Processes and Local Newspaper Coverage of Protest Events: From Selection Bias to Triadic Interactions

TLDR

Political processes influence both protest events and their news coverage, yet prior studies have not examined these interactions. Using data from a single city, the study investigates how political processes, news value, and routine factors jointly shape coverage of protests versus other events. Protests on legislative issues received the most coverage, while other protest forms were covered less when the legislature was in session; yearly fluctuations in nonlegislative protest coverage distorted the protest cycle, and additional predictors such as size, police involvement, conflict, counterdemonstrators, amplified sound, Monday events, religious sponsorship (negative), and annual or holiday events also influenced coverage.

Abstract

Political processes affect both protest and news coverage of protest, but past research has failed to examine these interactions. Data from one city reveal the interaction of political process, news value, and news routine factors in news coverage of protest versus other message events. Protests about legislative issues received the most coverage. Controlling for issue type, protest forms were covered less when the legislature was in session, while other forms (largely ceremonies and speeches) were covered more. Yearly variations in coverage rates of nonlegislative protests distorted the apparent shape of the protest cycle. Other predictive factors include size, police involvement, conflict, counterdemonstrators, amplified sound, Monday event, religious sponsorship (negative), and annual or holiday event.