Justifying brutality : news readers' perceptions of police violence and race

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI SYSTEM AT REQUEST OF AUTHOR.] Over the past few decades, police brutality has attracted the attention of the American public and news media. With increased attention, one topic of interest pertains to how audiences process news about police brutality. As the news media is one of the primary influencers of public opinion, it is essential to understand how the audience perceives these messages. The current study seeks to expand on previous research by analyzing readers' evaluations regarding issues of police brutality based on the framing of fatality and victim race. Additionally, through agenda-setting theory, this study will explore frame-setting implications that result from such evaluations. Results show indirect effects of the victim's race on justice variables through transportation, such that the situation involving the Black victim is seen as less just than that involving a White victim. Furthermore, compared to those who read about the White victim, those who read about a Black victim indirectly felt less safe in their community and thought police brutality was a more important issue. These findings have implications for both journalists and society as a whole. In addition, this study offers further support for the effectiveness of framing and agenda-setting theories, as well as the important role of transportation, in examining the context of police brutality in online news