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Discourse & Society
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The Manufacture of `Public Opinion' by Reporters: Informal Cues for Public Perceptions of Protest Groups

Douglas M. McLeod

UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

James K. Hertog

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

This study examines how conceptions of `public opinion' are embedded within news-coverage of social protests at two levels: the micro-level in terms of informal characterizations of public opinion and the macro-level in terms of general conceptions of public opinion. At the micro-level, public opinion is brought into news stories in a variety of ways, including: statements about public opinion, depictions of compliance with or violation of social norms and laws, and portrayals of bystanders as symbols for public reaction. At the macro-level, coverage may have an underlying conception of public opinion as (1) aggregated individual opinion, (2) attempts of various groups to affect public policy and (3) a mechanism of social control. This case study of mainstream and alternative media coverage of three anarchist protests reveals differences at both the micro-descriptive and macro-conceptual levels.

Key Words: alternative media • anarchists • media coverage • public opinion • social protest

Discourse & Society, Vol. 3, No. 3, 259-275 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/0957926592003003001
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