Dr. Holly Cowart will give the lecture, "Police and Protestors: How News Media Frame the Struggle for Social Justice." 

Abstract: News media images shape our understanding of protest movements and the struggles they represent. This has been particularly true for the Black Lives Matter movement. An examination of how the news media portrayed protestors following the death of Michael Brown shows an emphasis on police subduing protestors. By 2020, this frame appeared less frequently. Many of the images published following the death of George Floyd highlight people exercising their civil liberties and deemphasize the police presence. Dr. Cowart explores how protest movements are framed by media and the impact those frames have on our perception of social justice.