Framing and Coverage of Same-Sex Marriage in U.S. Newspapers

Framing same-sex marriage: Media constructions of California's Proposition 8

“…The frames in support of same-sex marriage are represented more prominently in the documents than those in opposition of same-sex marriage, reflecting an overall finding of the majority of documents either being balanced in coverage, or skewed in support of same-sex marriage. This is consistent with previous research that has found balance and fairness in coverage of controversial issues, particularly in cases of the prestige press (Lacy et al, 1991;Li & Liu, 2010). More specifically, this finding is consistent with that of Moscowitz (2013), that coverage of same-sex marriage in 2008 was more pro-gay in comparison to earlier years.…”

“…Although our findings must be viewed with caution, as we examine only three newspapers, our research is most consistent with Pan et al (2010). Unlike the research of Li and Liu (2010), we find that type of newspaper does matter. In our analysis, Washington Post has greater representation of frames opposing same-sex marriage than those favoring those unions, while San Francisco Chronicle and New York Times have greater representation of frames favoring same-sex marriage.…”

“…Prior research disagrees on whether coverage differs by newspaper. Pan et al (2010) find that the frequency of using a pro same-sex marriage frame of equality varies, while Li and Liu (2010) find that the location of the newspapers and the scope, local versus national, does not impact fairness and balance of coverage or frame.…”

Coverage of the Gay Games From 1980–2012 in U.S. Newspapers: An Analysis of Newspaper Article Framing

“…In conjunction with the growth of LGBT social movements, media coverage of LGBT individuals and issues has increased substantially in recent decades, and sport is no exception (Li & Liu, 2010), However, the ways in which an event such as the Gay Games might impact public perceptions can depend upon how the event and its participants are portrayed in mass media coverage (Shah, Kwak, Schmierbach, & Zubric, 2004), Thus, given the potential of the Gay Games to challenge dominant ideologies, combined with the possible influence of mass media, the purpose of the current study was to examine how the Gay Games have been framed in newspaper coverage during the last three decades.…”

Media Influence and Frame Diversity in the Debate Over Same-Sex Marriage

“…Framing studies rely heavily on their model of media influence, and studies of mass media commonly use a top-down approach that treats newspapers 2 The term framing is used in other ways as well, notably to describe the context in which an issue is placed in a news story (Iyengar, 1991;Li & Liu, 2010). This, too, diverges from my use of the term.…”