Underreporting ‘Bout a Revolution: A Historical–Comparative Study Exploring Major Newspaper Coverage of Disability Rights in a Revolutionary Context (1980–2017)

The disability rights movement has grown considerably. Recognizing that this international movement has travelled largely under the media radar, it nevertheless remains important to explore how this phenomenon has been reported upon over recent decades. Applying historical–comparative and thematic analysis methods to a sample of 16 major newspaper texts published between 1980 and 2017 and obtained via a ProQuest Historical Newspaper database search, as supplemented by eight journal articles retrieved from a Google Scholar search, this exploratory study reveals three key messages. These messages should be of particular interest to newspaper editors, journalists and disability activists around the globe. First, despite a general shortage of major newspaper reporting about the disability rights revolution, progressive themes of activism, legislation, technology and economic participation principles were identified. Second, the ethical reporting of disability rights in a revolutionary context offers opportunities for journalists to move away from disempowering stereotypes. Finally, journalists need to be more prepared to investigate and report about disability rights, the challenges experienced by many people with disabilities, as well as community-endorsed, evidence-based ways forward.