The aftermath of George Floyd’s murder sparked a year of racial reckoning that showed no signs of slowing down. Protests in response to police brutality captured the media’s attention and sparked a debate on how news organizations cover protests in…
Maryland
The struggle of blurring evidence in trial coverage: When is doing so appropriate?
The Derek Chauvin trial was a powerfully visual event that stunned audiences for weeks this April. Daily courtroom video included graphic visuals of George Floyd’s murder, some of which were broadcast and some not. Graphic material should be sensitively used,…
‘A difficult call’: How networks handled graphic images of George Floyd’s death
Derek Chauvin’s knee was on George Floyd’s neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds on May 29, 2021. But Floyd was murdered over and over again on America’s TV screens. Viewers saw graphic images nearly every night during the evening…
Coverage holes and the perception of bias
These days the cry of “bias” is commonplace around news coverage. Excessive commentary and analysis contribute to this tendency. However, it’s also because some outlets have leaned into the era of “fake news.” Combating this perception from some audiences requires…
Lester Holt: The voice of reason
The Derek Chauvin murder trial was the lead story across three major networks’ evening news broadcasts. Forty-five witnesses testified over a span of several weeks, a majority of them on behalf of the prosecution. Twelve jurors, with a variety of…
To clarify, not confuse, is a journalist’s duty
On April 22 CBS and NBC featured Lisa Christensen, an alternate juror in the Derek Chauvin trial. She was the first juror to speak out about the experience. Their reports were based on basically the same information. The results were…
“Believe your own eyes”: The impact of the traumatic visuals George Floyd’s death on news coverage
The image of Derek Chauvin’s knee pressing into George Floyd’s neck has been burned into this country’s psyche. ABC relentlessly used the raw photo of Chauvin staring into the camera while his knee crushed Floyd’s neck. Even on the trial’s…
Framing the future on the day of the Derek Chauvin verdicts
Derek Chauvin’s conviction in the murder of George Floyd signaled a win for accountability of police officers and justice for victims. And that’s how the three main evening news broadcasts covered it. However, Floyd’s death is not an isolated incident.…
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