The killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, the protests, police response and ensuing destruction in the city, all raise fundamental questions about justice and race in the U.S.
They also provoke a discussion about how journalists cover such events — from the images they show and words they choose to the treatment they experience from authorities in a dynamic environment. Why is a black reporter arrested while a nearby white reporter is not?
The images of protestors wearing masks on the street underscore another horrid reality — the uprising in Minneapolis is occurring during a pandemic that has taken a vast and disproportionate toll on black Americans.
“Journalists would do well to consider who is valued and to approach coverage not from the conflict, but the context,” said Martin Reynolds, former editor-in-chief of the Oakland (Calif.) Tribune and co-executive director of The Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.
The foremost issue is the killing — on video — of a black man pleading for his life. On Friday, the fired policeman who knelt on Floyd’s neck, Derek Chauvin, was arrested and charged with murder — five days after the incident.
“The flames will die down, buildings will be repaired, but the bias and police brutality that apparently led to Mr. Floyd’s death is what needs our collective journalistic attention,” Reynolds said in an email.
As the anger over Floyd’s death grew in Minneapolis, protesters also took to the streets of Louisville, Kentucky, to demand accountability for the killing of a black woman, Breonna Taylor, by three white police officers in March.
We reached out to Reynolds, whose institute focuses on how the news media can most accurately portray communities of color, for his reaction to the coverage in Minneapolis.
As news organizations cover the killing of George Floyd and the aftermath of his death, what context do you think is important to include in such coverage?
Reynolds: I find it compelling how different protests are covered. In Minneapolis there was a protest regarding sheltering-in-place where the police apparently viewed the protesters as just engaging in their civil rights. There weren’t tear gas or rubber bullets fired at the protesters. Nor were there such actions at the Michigan statehouse when white men armed with long guns aggressively took over the capitol. What would have happened if an armed group of black men, peacefully, but aggressively, took over the statehouse in protest of this slaying? I can only imagine how quickly SWAT teams would have been called.
Journalists would do well to consider who is valued and to approach coverage not from the conflict, but the context. This story should be covered through a lens of institutional racism and white supremacy. It is indisputable that in this country the lives of black women and men are not valued in the same way as those of white women and men. We should cover the killing with that in mind and not hover over the ancillary issues of: how many people showed up, how many fire units responded, how many protesters were arrested, etc. I do think a deep assessment of how the police policed the protest is vital, because in my experience, their actions often lead to escalation and then the narrative shifts.
That said, I haven’t seen a police precinct burned in any protest I have ever covered, so I can understand why journalists would cover that. Last night was very dramatic. However, it doesn’t supersede the larger issues that underpin how this situation escalated. The flames will die down, buildings will be repaired, but the bias and police brutality that apparently led to Mr. Floyd’s death is what needs our collective journalistic attention.
We have seen the protests in the city become violent. The Associated Press has a style rule that no protest should be called a riot unless that term is attributed to authorities. We have already seen the term “riot” used to describe the fires and destruction in a section of the city, and the perpetrators as “rioters.” How do you view the use of those terms?
Reynolds: This is classic. There is one slide I saw in a training I took that shows two white people sloshing through water after a hurricane having “foraged for food and supplies” at a local market. Another caption, which showed a person of color trudging through similar waters read: “a man returns home after looting a local market for food.” Journalists have to be aware of how we contribute to narratives that double-down on stereotypes and that perpetuate bias. We are making a judgment about people when we use the term ‘riot,’ and our biases are on full display when one group (often white) are protesters, and another group (people of color or those protesting something related to people of color) are rioters.
The scene last night was dramatic and should be covered as a news event. However, I am far more interested in seeing journalists cover the underlying issues. I have seen renewed calls on social media for police departments to be abolished, for example. The Marshall Project has a section of curated links on its website called “Police Abolition” dedicated to this conversation. Journalists should explore these topics with care and context and avoid a shallow conflict narrative.
The destruction has, for now, shifted the attention of the coverage. What can news organizations do to ensure the initial tragedy doesn’t get lost?
Reynolds: Stay focused on context. If the local TV station, which I viewed, has rallied the resources because they can’t help themselves to focus on flames and smoke because it makes good TV, then have a section on your website that aggregates that coverage if people want it.
But journalists don’t have to just follow the flames. What stories do we select? How do we play them? Where do we keep the gaze? Keep focused on what happened, not just the outrage and aftermath. Those are symptoms. Look at the problem, focus on the people who are working to end police violence. Focus on solutions, not the flames.
I realize Thursday night was dramatic, I was captivated by the darkness and flames, but again, the morning will come, the smoke will clear and what we’re left with are the issues that led to this man’s death.
What journalism lessons have we learned from the coverage of previous killings by police officers?
Reynolds: That journalists and our coverage has played a role in shaping the perceptions of black men in America.
When violent protests happen, we need to be prepared to keep them in context and refrain from being distracted by flames and the stores that get broken into. Those are symptoms of the frustration, dare I say fury, on the part of some folks. Or, they might just be the opportunistic actions of a few who are callously using the outrage over the killing of a black man to steal a flatscreen from Target. Which is the greatest miscarrage of justice here, stores being looted and burned or a man having the life pressed out of him by police officers?
What role can the newspaper play as a conduit for civic engagement in these horrible cases?
Reynolds: News organizations shouldn’t take a moment of tragedy to finally play connector in a community, especially when many have contributed to the narrative of men of color being dangerous through inaccurate portrayals, an overemphasis of crime coverage and police blotters filled with black and brown faces. News outlets should consider the creation of an “organizing editor” position and connect engagement of diverse communities to their strategic goals.
How does diversity and inclusion contribute to the success of the organization’s mission and survival? In doing that, they can devise a plan for how to build long-term relationships and trust with the community.
Other suggestions include:
- Collaborate with ethnic media on stories and civic events. Find ways to share revenue and relationships with ethnic media.
- Develop partnerships with community organizations doing work with these populations. Doing so doesn’t abdicate your role as watchdog.
- Create a relationship with the community, and stop covering the community from a gaze that is often white and male.
- How must staffing, hiring, retention, and newsroom culture change so that your coverage changes?
- Contact Free Press, which works closely with journalists to teach organizing principles and can help provide guidance on how to authentically engage with communities around complex social issues.
What does the arrest of CNN’s Omar Jimenez, and the detention of his team, tell you about the difficulty of reporting on a dynamic situation like this?
Reynolds: I have never seen anything like this. When I was editor of The Oakland (CA) Tribune none of my reporters or photographers ever got arrested by authorities when covering protests in Oakland, and we had quite a few.
From what I could tell from the coverage I saw, Omar Jimenez was respectful and did what a professional is supposed to do. You go where you want until you can’t. At that point, you follow instructions of authorities and report as best you can. From what I could see, Jimenez did that.
The fact is, in those situations journalists and law enforcement both have a job to do, and law enforcement should treat journalists with professionalism and respect. Journalists need to be on the ground informing the public and holding authorities to account in how they police and handle bringing order. There appears to be no valid reason for this crew to have been arrested by the state police. The CNN crew did the right thing in not resisting. The network’s leadership can now do its job and address this with the proper authorities.
What does this tell you about the underlying issues in Minneapolis today?
Reynolds: I can’t say for sure. But it is absolutely inappropriate for journalists to be arrested for apparently complying with police orders and reiterating that they will move where the police want them as they do their jobs. All that said, this isn’t the story. Journalists shouldn’t become the story (not that they wanted to). The killing of Mr. Floyd by these officers and the ongoing devaluation and oppression of black, brown and indigenous people in this country is what journalists need to explore with care, context and nuance.