Semester of Graduation

Fall 2018

Degree

Master of Mass Communication (MMC)

Department

Mass Communication

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Local and national media dedicate different levels of coverage to issues depending on its relevancy to their audiences. This study uses news outlets’ social media activity to show that coverage discrepancies occurred with former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick’s National Anthem protest. Because his protest reached national headlines, Kaepernick suffered the same fate of many protesting athletes in the past. This study will show how national media carried his story to national headlines and framed his protest negatively. The findings show that local media were the least active among the three media levels, local, regional and national, in covering the Kaepernick protest, and national media provided the most political-protest coverage among. Additionally, the results show how media outlets with ties to sports entities may limit their independence, thus limiting their coverage.

Date

8-6-2018

Committee Chair

Porter, Lance

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_theses.4783

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