Journalism· 2026Q1
The meaning and viability of redress: How newspapers and polls frame reparations
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- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
News opinion pieces and polls framed reparations for slavery as a radical, unpopular issue championed by the far left, rather than discussing specific forms of redress, according to an analysis of three major U.S. newspapers in 2019-2020.
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Key points
- Reparations for slavery were framed as a radical and unpopular issue in U.S. newspapers and polls during 2019-2020.
- Opinion pieces rarely discussed specific forms of reparations, focusing instead on the issue's perceived extremism.
- This framing occurred in the context of Democratic primary debates and the Movement for Black Lives' advocacy.
- The media's portrayal of reparations as a fringe issue aligned with public opinion polling and election coverage.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Despite reparations for slavery being part of the historical struggle for racial justice in the United States, the issue has fallen at the periphery of political discourse. Yet, in 2019 and 2020, the news devoted substantially more attention to the issue as Democratic primary candidates discussed it in debates and it was championed by the Movement for Black Lives. However, despite the fact we know that coverage increased during this time, we know surprisingly little about how reparations were discussed. This study analyzes the framing decisions present in opinion pieces across three of the largest U.S. national newspapers—and how these decisions interacted with public opinion polling and general election coverage in 2019 and 2020. I find that reparations were commonly discussed without mentioning any specific form. Instead, the issue framed as one of many radical and unpopular issues championed by people on the far left before the 2020 election.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Journalism, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Philosophy
PhilosophyArts and Humanities