Aldrete, M. (2023). Challenging the protest paradigm and winning legitimacy. Analysis of the representation of the social movement against femicide in the mainstream media in Mexico. Current Sociology [open accés]. https://doi.org/10.1177/00113921231211578
The study aims to better understand the factors influencing media representations of social movements. It proposes a methodology that utilizes the ‘protest paradigm’ as a framework but challenges its predictions, enabling a more comprehensive analysis. Although access to media discourse is crucial for social movements to gain support, previous research has revealed a tendency for negative representation of social movements. However, a consistent body of literature discovered several factors of deviation from the paradigm.
The proposed methodology operationalizes paradigm characteristics into four neutral variables such as emphasis, prominence, legitimacy, and tone and incorporates the possibility of a positive value. It also facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of the social context and the relationship between the media and the political elite. The empirical focus is on the representation of the movement against femicide in three Mexican national news outlets, relying on qualitative content analysis technique. The present work argues that the media can produce a legitimizing portrait of the activists and even help to create a more functional discourse.