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Kubitza Thesis Final.pdf (971.91 KB)

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An Athlete’s Right? Effects of Media Frames on the Tolerance of a Professional Athlete Protest

Kubitza, Steven
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1574642843982547

Abstract Details

2019, MA, Kent State University, College of Communication and Information / School of Media and Journalism.
Media depictions of protesters can alter how audiences perceive them. Specifically, when news media frames a protest as an exercise of First Amendment freedoms, audiences are more tolerant of the group’s activities. Here, I use a survey experiment (n = 168) to test these framing effects in the context of protesting athletes. I also examine theoretically relevant mechanisms that may moderate how individuals process civil liberty media frames. Specifically, I test whether racial resentment and blind or constructive patriotism moderate civil liberty framing effects on tolerance toward protesting athletes. In addition to providing a test of media framing effects in the context of a timely and salient social issue, this study elaborates on mechanisms by which civil liberties frames may operate on tolerance. My results do not show a main effect of receiving either a “free speech” or a “disrespect” frame on tolerance for protesting athletes. This lack of a statistically significant main effect may simply be a result of an underpowered study. Conversely, it may reflect a genuine inability of media to alter tolerance for protesting athletes as a unique social group. I also find blind patriotism and modern racism are positively related to tolerance for athletes regardless of frame exposure. I find no interactions between treatments and these participant dispositions, suggesting tolerance for athletes was primarily a function of participant psychological orientations rather than media influence. These results can be interpreted with some optimism¬—a basic orientation like political tolerance is not as easily altered by media as was found in prior research. In my conclusion, I discuss practical and normative ramifications of framing athlete protests as a matter of First Amendment rights and what can be tested in future studies.
Chance York, Dr. (Committee Chair)
Tang Tang, Dr. (Committee Member)
Danielle Coombs, Dr. (Committee Member)
47 p.
Mass Communications; Mass Media; Political Science
professional athletes, media framing, political tolerance, survey experiment

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Kubitza, S. (2019). An Athlete’s Right? Effects of Media Frames on the Tolerance of a Professional Athlete Protest [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1574642843982547

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Kubitza, Steven. An Athlete’s Right? Effects of Media Frames on the Tolerance of a Professional Athlete Protest . 2019. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1574642843982547.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Kubitza, Steven. "An Athlete’s Right? Effects of Media Frames on the Tolerance of a Professional Athlete Protest ." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1574642843982547

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1574642843982547
333
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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.