“The Spectacle of Amish Attacking Amish”: Framing Dichotomies in News Coverage of a Religious Hate Crime

Abstract

This study employs qualitative textual analysis to examine framing dichotomies in mainstream local news coverage of a series of attacks on Amish residents in Ohio carried out by a breakaway Amish group in 2011. Using Stuart Hall’s understanding of narrative binaries and the anthropological concept of the other within the other, the study argues portrayals of both the victims and the perpetrators of those crimes employed common stereotypes of Amish groups. The study describes the negative consequences of the “good Other” representation applied to the victims of the crimes and argues for more nuanced news coverage of non-mainstream religious groups.