Calm the farm or incite a riot? Animal activists and the news media: A public relations case study in agenda-setting and framing

IF 2.7 Q1 COMMUNICATION

Public Relations Inquiry Pub Date : 2021-11-25 DOI:10.1177/2046147X211055192

Deborah K Williams, Catherine Archer, L. O’Mahony

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引用次数: 1

Abstract

The ideological differences between animal activists and primary producers are long-standing, existing long before the advent of social media with its widespread communicative capabilities. Primary producers have continued to rely on traditional media channels to promote their products. In contrast, animal activists have increasingly adopted livestreaming on social media platforms and ‘direct action’ protest tactics to garner widespread public and media attention while promoting vegetarianism/veganism, highlighting issues in animal agriculture and disrupting the notion of the ‘happy farm animal’. This paper uses a case study approach to discuss the events that unfolded when direct action animal activists came into conflict with Western Australian farmers and businesses in 2019. The conflict resulted in increased news reporting, front-page coverage from mainstream press, arrests and parliamentary law changes. This case study explores how the activists’ strategic communication activities, which included livestreaming their direct actions and other social media tactics, were portrayed by one major Australian media outlet and the farmers’ interest groups’ reactions to them.

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平静农场还是煽动暴乱?动物保护主义者和新闻媒体:议程设置和框架的公共关系案例研究

动物活动家和初级生产者之间的意识形态差异由来已久，早在具有广泛传播能力的社交媒体出现之前就已经存在。初级生产者继续依靠传统媒体渠道来推广其产品。相比之下，动物活动家越来越多地在社交媒体平台上采用直播和“直接行动”抗议策略，以吸引公众和媒体的广泛关注，同时宣传素食主义/纯素食主义，突出畜牧业的问题，并颠覆“快乐农场动物”的概念。本文采用案例研究的方法讨论了2019年直接行动动物活动家与西澳大利亚农民和企业发生冲突时发生的事件。冲突导致新闻报道、主流媒体头版报道、逮捕和议会法律修改的增加。本案例研究探讨了澳大利亚一家主要媒体如何描述活动人士的战略沟通活动，包括直播他们的直接行动和其他社交媒体策略，以及农民利益集团对这些活动的反应。

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来源期刊

Public Relations Inquiry COMMUNICATION-

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

11.10%

发文量

期刊介绍： Public Relations Inquiry is an international, peer-reviewed journal for conceptual, reflexive and critical discussion on public relations, supporting debates on new ways of thinking about public relations in social, cultural and political contexts, in order to improve understanding of its work and effects beyond the purely organisational realm. We interpret public relations in a broad sense, recognising the influence of public relations practices on the many forms of contemporary strategic, promotional communication initiated by organisations, institutions and individuals. The practice of public relations arises at points of societal and organisational change and transformation, affecting many aspects of political, economic, social and cultural life. Reflecting this, we aim to mobilize research that speaks to a scholars in diverse fields and welcome submissions from any area that speak to the purpose of the journal, including (but not only) public relations, organizational communication, media and journalism studies, cultural studies, anthropology, political communication, sociology, organizational studies, development communication, migration studies, visual communication, management and marketing, digital media and data studies. We actively seek contributions that can extend the range of perspectives used to understand public relations, its role in societal change and continuity, and its impact on cultural and political life. We particularly welcome multi-disciplinary debate about the communication practices that shape major human concerns, including: globalisation, politics, and public relations in international communication migration, refugees, displaced populations terrorism, public diplomacy public and corporate governance diversity and cultural impacts of PR the natural and built environments Communication, space and place The development and practices of major industries such as health, food, sport, tourism, technology.