Regional media framing of the Confederate flag debate in South Carolina

Abstract

Content analysis of 400 news stories in three South Carolina newspapers examines the frames used about the Confederate flag debate in the first 25 days after the 2015 Charleston church massacre. Stories focused on the legislative process in removing the flag more than the flag’s symbolic meaning or the shootings. The three newspapers cited reasons to support removal nearly three times more often than reasons to oppose and showed some distinct regional differences. About two thirds of stories in Charleston and Columbia had a favorable tone (support) toward flag removal, whereas the Greenville newspaper coverage was largely neutral.