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Victor Alleyne
Rhetoric and Civic Life
Dr. Lyn Freymiller
Paradigm Shift Essay
10/18/16
The increase of media coverage on Police Brutality

Media reports on police brutality have always been a very touchy and controversial topic.

Police brutality is such a problematic concept because it involves the very people sworn to

protect the public utilizing force to neutralize citizens, cases that too often end in unnecessary

deaths. The research of media attention to police brutality starts in the 1960s and travels in three

periods of two decades each to the present. Police brutality has always been a real and relevant

aspect of American society seen throughout history in civil rights demonstrations, the Rodney

King beating and most recently, in the deaths of Eric Garner and Philando Castile. That isnt to

say that the media has always given these cases the coverage they merit as their reports on these

incidents are increasingly affected by a variety of factors. Coverage of police brutality is based

off pressure by mass civil movements demanding investigation, significant advances in

technology publicizing these events, support by high-level officials that draws attention and

evidence of cruelty that allow conclusions of police brutality creating controversy as to whether

the use of force was required or excessive. The extremely gradual increase in the medias

attention to police brutality over fifty years with rotating sections of attention and disregard

highlights the change of societal norms as it transitioned to a media increasingly focused on

violence and a slight decrease in racial prejudice as it begins to report more on minorities in the

incidents.

1960s-1979

The research begins in the 1960s because it exemplifies the large role that mass movements play

in generating media coverage, in this case the civil rights movement which held non-violent
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protests that resulted in two notable acts of police brutality; it also marks the beginning of actual

media attention to these injustices. Media is structured in terms of its context as it seeks to appeal

to a certain audience depending on who, when and where it is broadcasting or advertised to.

Norms are socially enforced and habitual approaches to news construction that produce patterns

of representation in the news. Within the news there are numerous indications of norms: what

journalists find newsworthy, what sources they consult and what questions they find important to

ask (Lawrence 12). During this time with the civil rights movement underway, clearly societal

norms were heavily influenced by racial prejudice against African-Americans which affected

their media coverage, especially as acts of police brutality occurred. The first major incident of

police brutality reported in the news was the shooting of Ronald Stokes in Los Angeles in 1962.

Ronald Stokes was killed during a police raid on the Nation of Islam mosque in April. The

NAACP and U.S Civil Rights Committee led an investigation into the shooting as 2,000 people

gathered outside the police department advocating the resignation of Chief William Parker

(Ward 213). This shows how the presence of high-level officials, in a sense, such as the NAACP

and U.S Civil Rights Committee, have an immediate impact in whether or not this incident made

the news. The response by the African-American community to protest in such large numbers

was also instrumental as it generated attention because it created a disturbance in a nice part of

Los Angeles, meaning that if they hadnt protested with such tenacity or in the location that they

did then, the incident probably wouldnt have gained as much attention if any.

The role of the high-level officials and loud protests was necessary during this time to

obtain media coverage because of the lack of reporting on violence and racial prejudice that

meant African-Americans were underrepresented despite the daily struggles that they faced in

their communities. The shooting of fifteen year old James Powell in July 1964 by off-duty police
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officer Thomas Gilligan was another pivotal moment in the medias reports of police brutality.

Media coverage of these incidents didnt increase steadily during this period because the media

tended to only feature those that aroused enough attention in their respective states, in this case

the Harlem riots that resulted because of the shooting caused +$40 million in property damage,

34 deaths, 1,032 injuries and 3,348 arrests (Entman 119). However, it is important to note that

during this time news stations and newspapers reported these incidents Blacks werent referred to

as victims of these recurring injustices. Rather, African-Americans were disproportionately

presented as menacing criminals compared with real-world arrest reports (Nabi 381).

Consequently, most of the coverage dedicated to the Harlem riots didnt focus on their cause,

police brutality, but rather the destruction that the citizens caused as they were tired of being

targeted by the police in addition to dealing with conditions of mass unemployment, rampant

poverty, and a tremendous shortage of adequate housing.

The circumstances are illustrated through a description of a local Black newspaper that

says Neither the NYPD, which had few black officers, nor the mainstream media, which had

few black reporters, paid a great deal of attention to black-on-black crime, even though the

murder rate was six times higher than whites (Entman 120). This describes the lack of media

coverage, and the resulting inception of the Office of Law Enforcement Assistance by President

Lyndon B. Johnson is notable in the medias story of police brutality because it is the first time

that a major politician at least recognizes a problem with community policing. It also serve as a

testament to how high-level figures, such as President Lyndon B. Johnson, paying attention to

police brutality increases the medias coverage of it because it raises its importance and

relevance as a national issue, not just one in an underprivileged communities.

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Another significant event from this time period was the 1963 civil rights movement

protest in Birmingham. The battle in Birmingham dominated the evening news and the

sickening spectacle got big play in newspapers across the country and around the world. The

nation bore witness as police in Birmingham, Ala., aimed high-powered hoses and sicced

snarling dogs on black men, women and even children who wanted just one thing to be

treated the same as white Americans (Siemaszko). This is the first major mass incident of police

brutality that wasnt only broadcasted nationwide, but globally and resulted in many countries

denouncing the acts of Bull Connor, an abusive and racist police chief, and questioning how the

government was allowing these acts to go on. Police brutality as a theme in the news increased

tremendously as it led to strong questions of Southern societal norms of segregation and racial

prejudice. The harsh images of young Black children sitting on the ground as theyre hosed down

at dangerous water speeds and the deployment of police dogs on clearly non-resistant and

nonviolent individuals lucidly resonated with even the most prejudiced people in the country at

this time. The media had no choice, but to continue covering these incidents because the whole

world was watching and they demanded to know the future treatment of African-American

protesters. Again, high-level figures in both communities at this time added media attention as

the address by President John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther Kings presence in Birmingham

required the media to increase its coverage as another president was raising the issue of

maltreatment by the police. This isnt to say that notable legislation dedicated to stopping these

incidents was made, but Kennedy and Johnson did demonstrate that they recognized there was a

problem in polices treatment of African-Americans.

The last significant shift during this period that increased the medias attention to use of

force incidents by the police was the 1965 March in Montgomery, Alabama at the Pettus Bridge.
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Fifty marchers were hospitalized after police use tear gas, whips, and clubs against them. The

incident is dubbed Bloody Sunday by the media and the march is considered the catalyst for

pushing through the voting rights act five months later (Siemaszko). Yet again, pictures of

police brutality are spread around the world and despite these two similar incidents, the media

continues to refer to these incidents of brutality as individual events and non-systemic in an

effort to preserve the honor of the countrys police departments. Another reason for the increase

of coverage was because of the similar images that the pictures brought back to the minds of

Americans; White slave masters chasing their Black runaway slaves with whips while on

horseback. These are heavy messages, especially during a time when African-Americans are

championing for suffrage and equal treatment; the growth of media attention on this topic again

explains a gradual shift in societal norms in that racial prejudice begins to change in the South to

messages of racial equality, a characterizing trait of this era. From 1965 to 1979, other than the

1967 Detroit and Los Angeles riots that limitedly covered the acts of police brutality that inspired

the community's responses, media coverage of use of force incidents faded rather extremely

(Siegal).

1980-1999

The first resurgence in the medias coverage of police brutality begins in New Orleans in 1980.

The U.S Department of Justices civil rights division in collaboration with the local U.S

attorney office were investigating the alleged case of brutality in the deaths of James Billy,

Reginald Miles and Sherry Singleton. The FBIs investigation found all six officers culpable,

however only two were found guilty, while the other four were acquitted (Entam 168). The use

of government agencies in conducting investigations into these serious allegations was also

successful in drawing media attention because the city of New Orleans had long since been
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complaining and demanding justice for other cases of brutality and neglect, yet until this event

there voices went unnoticed. Furthermore, this case is noteworthy because it also leads to a spark

in the presence of violence in the media as the circumstances of this case were rather gory which

were what initially attracted the attention of the FBI, in addition to its controversy as the guns

that the suspects supposedly had were never found. Other incidents of brutality between 1980 to

1991 transpired, though they didnt gain national attention therefore there was a calming in the

medias coverage of police cruelty. This all changed on March 3rd, Rodney King was tased with

darts, kicked repeatedly and struck with a baton 56 times. Within 48 hours of it being originally

broadcasted, it had been aired around the world (Lawrence 143). Media coverage measured by

Nexus database reported that editorial items reporting on police brutality tripled compared to

1986 (Lawrence 143). This shows one of the highest points of media coverage on the topic and

places emphasis on the importance of actual evidence of cruelty in creating attention. The

psychological nature of the situation is also outstanding because the beating can easily be

deemed significant and the lack of resistance by King honestly encompasses most of these

incidents. Despite this, out of 500 cases reported by the New York and Los Angeles Times from

1985-1994, only a handful of cases received national attention. The King beating led to a large

amount of media coverage because of the riots that ensued causing 53 deaths and more than $1

billion in damages. This period in the medias coverage of use of force incidents signified a

society leaning significantly more to fair treatment of minorities as seen through more unofficial

voices and systemic claims in the attention to police brutality cases of Levi Gaines and Amadou

Diallo in 1996 and 1999 respectively which gained large amounts of media time.
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2000s-2016

This period in terms of police brutality echoes many of the historic cases, however it is

remarkably different in that its development in technology has led to a vastly larger publication

of these incidents and spread awareness in an attempt to seek legislation that can protect and

prevent further victims of these injustices. Social media platforms such as: Facebook, Instagram,

Twitter and Snapchat have been instrumental in starting hashtag movements that repeat the

names of victims of brutality to raise consciousness of this social issue and Black Lives Matter

that has been extremely successful in reaching a larger audience making it easier for global

parties to stay informed (McLaughlin). These applications have furthermore been effective in

generating even more media coverage as many victims such as, Korryn Gaines, livestreamed

their run-ins with the police before being abused or killed. Many of the incidents currently,

involve video from smartphones, evidence taken for granted now because in comparison to

previous eras, having pictures or videos of the brutality was a commodity as the event wouldve

have had to generated a tremendous amount of attention to have surveillance typically.

Additionally, research on technology in the form of police body cameras applied for the safety of

victims, but also officers as the rate of police brutality or its prevalence in the media has grown

increasingly over the past six years has concluded that Officers tended to adhere to social norms

and change their conduct as complaints dropped by more than 80% in a California city subject to

the study (Lewinski). Thus, an increase in media coverage of brutality, indirectly in a sense, has

proven to lead to a decrease in these incidents, a good sign. There have been striking police

brutality incidents early in this period with Robert Davis, but most recently are the deaths of Eric

Garner, Philando Castile, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Gary Hatcher and Jessica Williams to

name a few (McLaughlin). Media coverage on the Black Lives Matter and these individual
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incidents has increased dramatically in an attempt to give it the attention it merits; this topic is so

relevant that it was one of the questions at the presidential debate illustrating how essential and

impactful it is. This final period is crucial in that, it finally seems that the media is covering these

incidents thematically and as a systematic problem, though it is still grossly underrepresented in

formal forms such as: newspapers and news stations as many incidents are ignored, though it

denotes a significant change in that the attention has grown largely compared to that of the first

era and an indication of more violence in the media, 25% to be accurate (Lawrence 20).

CONCLUSION

In addition, media coverage of police brutality cases gradually increased from the 1960s as

societal norms werent in agreement with fair treatment of minorities and a lack of unofficial

voices decreased the amount of attention given to these incidents over time. However, as time

progressed events like the King beating and Diallo shooting raised awareness of this relevant and

effecting issue leading to movements like that of Black Lives Matter that take advantage of

social media advances to raise consciousness signifying a society that is in unison with a further

increasing portrayal of violence in the media, but is also increasingly more accepting and

supportive of racial and ethnic equality and equity which will most likely continue as long as

voices of minorities continue to be heard and positive actions come of it.

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Works Cited

Entman, Robert M., and Andrew Rojecki. The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in

America. Chicago: U of Chicago, 2000. Print.

Lawrence, Regina G. The Politics of Force: Media and the Construction of Police Brutality. Berkeley:

U of California, 2000. Print.

Lewinski, Bill. "7 Findings from First-ever Study on Body Cameras." PoliceOne. National Law

Enforcement Memorial Fund, 02 Feb. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

<https://www.policeone.com/use-of-force/articles/8218374-7-findings-from-first-ever-study-on-

body-cameras/>.

McLaughlin, Eliott C. "There Aren't More Police Shootings, Just More Coverage." CNN. Cable News

Network, 21 Apr. 2015. Web. 21 Oct. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/police-

brutality-video-social-media-attitudes/>.

Nabi, Robin L., and Mary Beth. Oliver. The SAGE Handbook of Media Processes and Effects. Los

Angeles: SAGE, 2009. Print.

Siegal, Kimberly. Silent No Longer: Voices of the 1967 Newark Race Riots. University of Pennsylvania,

10 July 2006. Web. 21 Oct. 2016. <http://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1038&context=curej>.

Siemaszko, Corky. "Birmingham Erupted into Chaos in 1963." Daily News. New York Daily Times

News, 03 May 2012. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

<http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/birmingham-erupted-chaos-1963-battle-civil-

rights-exploded-south-article-1.1071793>.

Ward, Brian E. Media, Culture, and the Modern African American Freedom Struggle.
Gainesville: U of Florida, 2001. Print.