Media, movements, and the quest for social justice

Abstract

This essay examines the efforts of the Media Research and Action Project to assist marginalized groups in employing news as a political resource. The analysis highlights the news media as critical arenas of struggle for social movements and community groups seeking political change and social justice. The essay details how the Media Research and Action Project, influenced by resource mobilization theory and multiple research perspectives on news, assists community groups and social movements in their ability to: identify and challenge barriers to news media access; sharpen their preferred frames and strategies for promoting their definitions of political issues through the news media; and develop media initiatives integrated into their political strategies. A case involving a media‐centered public information campaign to influence policy formation and public attitudes concerning workplace reproductive rights is highlighted.