Danielle K. Brown | Nieman Journalism Lab

Articles by Danielle K. Brown

Danielle K. Brown is a professor of journalism at Michigan State University.

May 6, 2024

Media coverage of campus protests tends to focus on the spectacle rather than the substance

“There are commercial reasons why some newsrooms focus on the spectacle and confrontation — the old journalism adage of ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ still prevails in many newsroom decisions…But it is a decision that delegitimizes protest aims.”

April 19, 2021

Being skeptical of sources is a journalist’s job — but it doesn’t always happen when those sources are the police

As a scholar who researches media coverage of police and protests, I believe Toledo’s death exposes a blind spot in journalism: a tendency to go with the “police said” narrative without outwardly questioning if it is right.

January 8, 2021

The insurrection at the Capitol challenged the way newsrooms frame unrest

“News audiences aren’t necessarily used to seeing violence and disruption at citizen demonstrations in support of a president — and certainly not on the scale we witnessed on Wednesday at the Capitol.”

May 30, 2020

Riot or resistance? The way the media frames the unrest in Minneapolis will shape the public’s view of protest

Research finds that protests about anti-black racism and indigenous people’s rights receives the least legitimizing coverage.

January 17, 2020

What do we want? Unbiased reporting! When do we want it? During protests!

Not all protests get treated equally. Stories about women’s marches and anti-Trump protests give more voice to the protesters than those about Black Lives Matter and other anti-racism protests.