Revisiting the Protest Paradigm: Climate Activists between Attention and Marginalisation: A Qualitative Content Analysis of German Newspaper Coverage of the Climate Justice Movement

There is a lack of research on the relationship between climate movements and the media to better understand why movements are taken seriously or remain unheard. This thesis thus examines the coverage of the three climate justice organisations (CJO) Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and Ende Gelaende within the German newspapers Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and Die Tageszeitung (taz) during three different time periods between 2018 and 2021. A sample of 122 articles is explored via a qualitative content analysis to identify the frames used by the journalists and to assess if the newspapers cover the CJOs substantively or if they rather adhere to the so called ’protest paradigm’. In line with previous research, the results show that lot of the articles gave protestors a voice and portrayed their cause as legitimate. Nevertheless, 57% are mostly or entirely focussed on information as the protest numbers or the legality of actions compared to only 16,4% with substantive coverage,...Show moreThere is a lack of research on the relationship between climate movements and the media to better understand why movements are taken seriously or remain unheard. This thesis thus examines the coverage of the three climate justice organisations (CJO) Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and Ende Gelaende within the German newspapers Sueddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and Die Tageszeitung (taz) during three different time periods between 2018 and 2021. A sample of 122 articles is explored via a qualitative content analysis to identify the frames used by the journalists and to assess if the newspapers cover the CJOs substantively or if they rather adhere to the so called ’protest paradigm’. In line with previous research, the results show that lot of the articles gave protestors a voice and portrayed their cause as legitimate. Nevertheless, 57% are mostly or entirely focussed on information as the protest numbers or the legality of actions compared to only 16,4% with substantive coverage, meaning that the issues and/or demands of a CJO are discussed. Arguably, this circumstance hampers the CJOs’ ability to transmit their messages what in turn undermines their credibility and the function of protest actions as necessary drivers for progressive change.Show less

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Revisiting the Protest Paradigm: Climate Activists between Attention and Marginalisation: A Qualitative Content Analysis of German Newspaper Coverage of the Climate Justice Movement