Spotting The Frames In Tuscon

If you’ve followed the Sarah Palin/Tuscon Shooting debacle, you’ll be aware of the importance that hate speech plays as a legitimising factor for violence and oppression. Joe Brewer at Cognitive Policy Works has identified some frames being deployed in the media – listed below. As he rightly says, the unfolding media coverage offers a rare opportunity to watch political framing in action.  The highly contentious event is already being framed in a manner that conceals systemic causes – namely the lack of restrictions on gun ownership in the US and the violent anti-Democrat language used by the Tea Party.

When you next read an article or watch a news report, look out for the following;

• The “Lone Shooter” Frame

Emphasis will be on individual actions, ignoring cultural patterns that influenced the event like the militant imagery of Tea Party leaders and Fox News personalities.

• The “Crazy Gunman” Frame

Effort will be made to reduce this complex event to the explanation that the shooter was insane, disregarding the anti-government sentiments that fueled him to action.

• The “Both Sides Equal” Frame

Media coverage will presume violent rhetoric is equal on the left and right, ignoring how leftist individuals target single people (e.g. Bush hater) while right-wing individuals target groups (e.g. liberals, Jews).  Also the scale of violent imagery is disproportionately on the right side.

• The “We’re All Sorry” Frame

Spokespeople on the right who have fueled violent rhetoric (e.g Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh) will publicly condemn violent actions while continuing to promote negative views of entire classes of people.  This behavior will not be present among liberals.