Media Framing

          One definition of media framing is how something is named and defined, and how that meaning shapes public opinion. In class, we discussed how media framing equates to how we deal with public tragedy. It deals with how we understand how the media frames and helps the public negotiate tragic events, how the framing can shape public opinion, and how it overall can be manipulative. Media framing deals with what gets emphasized and minimized as it pertains to an event. For example, when President Obama as campaigning, the media enjoyed emphasizing the fact that he would potentially be the first minority president, rather than his political stance on large issues or his viewpoints. This all relates to how he was framed in the media. It is what is allowed to be seen and what is not allowed to be seen.

            One specific tragedy we covered in class was the Matthew Shepherd case. Matthew Shepherd was an American gay male who was brutally killed specifically because he was gay. No other reason. He was not posing a threat, or insulting anyone at the time. In class, we discussed how the media framed this event in such a way that America could feel bad about him being murdered, all while holding on to their prejudice and hateful views against gays. This was due to the fact that his murderers were already seen as “evil” because of their backgrounds, therefore no one had to reevaluate their views because it was framed as if the crime took place because the men were horrible people, not because he was gay.