Presentation by Marina Hendricks and Joy Jenkins at the AEJMC 2017 Scholastic Journalism Division Teach-In

1. Marina Hendricks and Joy Jenkins
AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Division Teach-In
August 8, 2017

2.  In fall 2015, a series of protests led
by African American students at
the University of Missouri’s
Columbia campus led to the
resignations of two key university
officials.
 Students at other universities
organized their own protests to
raise awareness of race disparities
and support MU’s protestors.
 This study considers the distinctive
role of student-run campus media
in covering the protests and
providing outlets for student views.

3.  Mainstream media coverage of protests largely reinforces a protest paradigm (Chan &
Lee, 1984; Gitlin, 1980; McLeod, 2007).
 Key features of the protest paradigm (Boykoff, 2006; Brasted, 2005; Gitlin, 1980; Jha, 2007; Xu, 2013):
 Trivializing and delegitimizing protests
 Depicting protestors and their radical elements rather than protest goals
 Highlighting internal dissent among protestors
 Disparaging the movement’s effectiveness
 Quoting official sources to explain the protest
 Emphasizing lawlessness and violence
 Covering public disapproval
 Emphasizing negative implications of protests

4.  Alabama
 Claremont McKenna
 Georgetown
 Harvard
 Ithaca
 Johns Hopkins
 Missouri
 Occidental
 Princeton
 Purdue
 Yale

5.  Coverage emphasized the normative journalistic element of balance, including
the perspectives of both protestors and officials as well as faculty and students who
supported and disagreed with the protestors’ goals and tactics.
 “He has all of these resources,” a protester said (of Wolfe). “He is not only a white
man with privilege, but he also has educational privilege. And he is still not utilizing his
resources to get educated on systems of oppression that these students immortalize
in a community space every single day. … MU is the largest institution, but you are
over several institutions and you do not care about racism, or systems of
oppression, or marginalized communities of students. You don’t care.”
(Maneater, Nov. 5, 2015)

6.  Wolfe responded to the increasingly
agitated gathering by affirming that he
does care and declaring that his
actions will coincide with his words. He
later released a full statement. “It is
very concerning to me when any of
our students’ well-being is in
jeopardy, and I am especially
concerned about the health and
safety of MU student Jonathan
Butler,” Wolfe said. “Jonathan is a
valued and effective voice in our
struggle to combat racial injustice.”
(Maneater, Nov. 5, 2015)

7.  Coverage included a variety of perspectives from non-protesting students during
the protests and in response to the resignations and other effects.
 French exchange student Tifani Akobe said she didn’t feel the difference between
black and white before coming to MU. After watching the documentary, she threw her
fist in the air. “It wasn’t just showing the many stories the media spun off of the
hunger strike,” Akobe said. “While I’ve been here, I’ve felt the pain of this
movement. But I can go back to France and let people know the truth. Everyone
should take examples from these students, and I admire them so much.”
(Maneater, March 15, 2016)

8.  MSA Senate Speaker Kevin Carr said
he supported the cause Butler was
advocating for but said the strike
endangered students. “Jonathan
Butler’s expression, and his way of
going about it, is putting himself in
danger, and it’s even encouraging
other students to put themselves in
danger, too,” Carr said. “I think it’s
irresponsible of student leaders to
endorse that sort of behavior.”
(Maneater, Nov. 4, 2015)

9.  Coverage often included descriptions and
examples of the disruptive aspects of the
protests as well as its negative
implications.
 “When a group of protesters interrupted the
UM System Board of Curators meeting
Thursday afternoon, Chairwoman Pamela
Henrickson banged the gavel several times
to call for order, but eventually fell silent. In
their first protest of the semester,
Concerned Student 1950 activists spoke
out on many of the same issues of racism
they had focused on previously. Protesters
marched through the Student Center
and spoke to a tour group at Speakers
Circle. When they reached the Board of
Curators meeting, a student read the
group’s demands to the room.”
(Maneater, Feb. 4, 2016)

10.  Several articles addressed the animosity that developed
between protestors and the media, both local and national,
and Maneater and other reporters’ experiences.
 “Reporters were told to move to the top of the hill. One activist
grabbed at the Maneater reporter’s arm while telling all media
to relocate, but quickly removed her hand and walked away.
‘This is a movement, not a moment,’ she said, and activists
standing behind the tables cheered. She said the ‘other ten’
were coming to the campsite, and again reminded
students not to talk to media.” (Maneater, Nov. 9, 2015)

11.  Coverage focused on solidarity and
unity, describing the teamwork among
the protestors themselves as well as
how they forged bonds with supporters
and allies.
 Graduate student Jonathan Butler was
on his sixth day without food when
sophomore safety Anthony Sherrils
announced the Missouri football
team’s pledge to support his hunger
strike against UM System President
Tim Wolfe. Students have also been
camping out on Carnahan Quad in
support of Butler. They too want Wolfe
out of office. (Maneater, Nov. 9, 2015)

12.  Coverage suggested solutions to issues raised by the protestors; highlighted calls to
action by protestors, supporters and allies; and reinforced protestors’ goals.
 Concerned Student 1950 activists still await a handwritten apology note from Wolfe.
They want it to include an acknowledgement of his “white male privilege,” recognition
of the existence of systems of oppression and apologies for allowing his driver to
bump into a protester and for not intervening when the Columbia Police Department
used what they deemed excessive force in breaking up the demonstration. Activists
have also called for a system of “shared governance” where a diverse board of
students and faculty deliver input on the selection of the next UM System
president. Concerned Student 1950 tweeted after the protest that the curators
had told them students would be included in the search. (Maneater, Feb. 4,
2016)

13.  Coverage provided historical context for the protest, especially with respect to the
role of race on the University of Missouri-Columbia campus.
 It is hard to say for certain when the clock began ticking. It could have begun in
1969, when the Legion of Black Collegians first issued demands for diversity
advancement in a letter to then-Chancellor John W. Schwada. Or on Aug. 9, 2014,
when Michael Brown was shot dead by Darren Wilson in Ferguson. It might have
been when UM System President Tim Wolfe sat motionless on the trunk of his red
convertible, wearing a thin, naive smile, as protesters all but begged him to engage in
a dialogue with them. It is unclear when the clock began ticking, but when Jonathan
Butler declared his hunger strike Nov. 2, the hourglass was glued firmly to Wolfe’s
desk. (Maneater, Nov. 11, 2015)

14.  Coverage emphasized supporters outside the movement, including the MU football
team, MU faculty members and departments, film director Spike Lee, and national
organizations such as the NAACP.
 NAACP President and CEO Cornell Brooks tweeted “#ConcernedStudent1950 we
support you, we commend you. The NAACP stands with you.” The NAACP’s official
Twitter account retweeted the statement. (Maneater, Nov. 9, 2015)

15.  Coverage linked the protest to other marginalized communities, such as the MU
Coalition for Graduate Workers, individuals representing other races and ethnicities,
and members of the LGBTQ population.
 [Junior Daphne] Yu said she felt the recent discussions of race have mostly focused
on “the whole black-white dichotomy” and that Asian Americans are often not
represented in discussions and demonstrations. However, Yu said she was proud
of the number of Asian American and Pacific Islander students who came to the rally
and that their presence was necessary to foster change. “It’s important for us all to
stand in solidarity for the betterment of all minorities on campus,” Yu said. (Maneater,
Feb. 25, 2016)

16.  Coverage highlighted the protest’s effectiveness, success in meeting protestors’
goals, and legitimacy as a movement.
 Following Loftin’s resignation, football players, including Sherrils, Moore, Harris and
Simon, gathered on Carnahan Quad to comment. “We love the game,” Simon said.
“But at the end of the day, it is just that: a game. Through this experience, we have
really been able to bridge the gap between student and athlete in the phrase ‘student-
athlete.’ By connecting with the community and realizing the bigger picture, we will
continue to build with the community and support positive change on Mizzou’s
campus.” (Maneater, Nov. 10, 2015)

17.  Continuous coverage of the protest
showed its long-term impact and
implications.
 Concerned Student 1950 has also
garnered support from more than 100
college campuses across the country,
many of whom are also listing their own
demands to their respective
administrations. For Little, it’s an
empowering feeling. “What it means to
me is that finally, marginalized
students at predominantly white
institutions are standing up and
saying, ‘You know what? I’m done
being oppressed, and it’s time for me
to resist that oppression,’” [Maxwell]
Little said. (Maneater, Dec. 7, 2015)

18.  Coverage featured the lived experiences with
racial inequalities and voices of protestors.
 “ … [A]s a member of the [Georgia] football team,
[Reuben] Faloughi experienced both the god-like
status of being a college athlete in a college town
and being a black male in the South. On game
days, motorcades would drive in front of the team
bus to get through traffic faster. As he entered the
stadium, fans would ask for pictures and hugs.
They even asked for kisses for their babies. But as
soon as the game ended, everything changed. “But
Sunday morning rolls around, and you’re back
to being a minority in America,” Faloughi said.
“You’re seen for your athletic ability, not your
academic ability. It’s exploitative. You’re used
for your performance and entertainment.”
(Maneater, Oct. 7, 2015)

19.  What do you see in these examples of campus protest coverage?
 Practices that high school journalists can emulate
 Practices that high school journalists should avoid

20.  Lessons from the field:
 Taylor Blatchford, University of Missouri
 Allison Colburn, University of Missouri
 Jane Bannester, Ritenour High School, St. Louis
 Google Doc:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XnkE3znLh_nsCv3co5EZk7QL_4KVM_FVXAj7hnC-
_gc/edit?usp=sharing
 What opportunities does protest coverage provide for public discourse, community
outreach and civic engagement?

21. Marina Hendricks, Ph.D., CJE
South Dakota State University
marinahendricks@gmail.com
@mhendwv
Joy Jenkins, Ph.D.
Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism
joy.jenkins@politics.ox.ac.uk
@joyjenkins