The Role of Activists in the News Coverage of the Case of Philando Castile

Abstract

This paper examines the role of activists and social media in the news coverage of the controversial death of Philando Castile at the hands of police. Using the agenda-building framework, this paper found that no relationship existed between news coverage and the tweets of Black Lives Matter activists. The results of this paper suggest that journalists continue to use elite and official sources in constructing news narratives. This paper also supports previous research that suggests that journalists use social media in their news reporting, signaling a change in norms and routines. The implications of these findings for journalism, news consumers, and activist movements are discussed.