Policy is Practice: Political Rhetoric in Local Coverage of Criminal Justice Reform

Overview: This presentation will discuss a recent qualitative study examining local media coverage of criminal justice reform efforts in a metropolitan area that covers two states, one that is considered more conservative and one that is considered more liberal. Findings will be useful for social workers when engaging in political advocacy.Proposal text: Evidence suggests that media has a significant role in molding public opinion (Beale, 2006). Framing occurs in media coverage, highlighting certain issues while minimizing others (Beale, 2006). Thus, public perception of policy measures is influenced by the ways in which the media portrays the efforts. Research exists regarding attitudes towards certain criminal justice topics, however many articles neglect to consider how media impacts these attitudes (Dowler & Zawilski, 2007). Our qualitative exploratory study more closely examines the impact of local media’s coverage of criminal justice reform and the role of political rhetoric. The summer of 2020 sparked discussion about criminal justice reform like never before, and people had access to information via the 24-hour news cycle. Trigger events, such as the murder of George Floyd and other innocent Black Americans, upcoming local and national elections, current Metro Area Legislation, and the Covid-19 pandemic had substantial influence on what the media covered. These events directly influenced types of reforms that were being proposed.
We examined articles from St. Louis Metro Area media sources to gain a better insight on the local perception of criminal justice reform. The St. Louis Metro Area is a particularly interesting market because it includes coverage of both Missouri (a state led by a Republican majority) and Illinois (a state led by a Democratic majority). Researchers searched the five main television networks and two local newspapers with large distributions for stories on criminal justice reform efforts between June 1, 2020 and September 30, 2021. Stories across all sources were reviewed for inclusion and 103 stories were selected. Three researchers completed multiple rounds of open coding to determine major themes in coverage. Preliminary findings indicate a lack of context and background information in coverage. Likewise, the result or significance of events covered was left up to individual interpretation. What is included (or excluded) and the rhetoric used in coverage affects public support of reform efforts.
The Code of Ethics directs social workers to “advocate for changes in policy and legislation to improve social conditions in order to meet basic human needs and promote social justice” (National Association of Social Workers, Standard 6.04, 2022). Therefore, it is imperative that social workers understand the impact media has on shaping how information is portrayed to the public. The current study indicates that it is becoming increasingly difficult to consume relatively unbiased media, even at the local level. From an education lens, this needs to be discussed in policy and community organizing classes so that students are better prepared to engage in political advocacy. For practitioners, these findings can help them engage with policymakers and local media outlets to better frame discussion surrounding criminal justice reform.