Legitimating police violence Newspaper narratives of deadly force

Newspaper coverage of police-perpetrated homicides may reflect and promote public and official tolerance for police violence. Interpretive content analysis was performed on 105 news articles appearing in 23 major daily newspapers between 1997 and 2000 that center on incidents of deadly force. Using Thompson's (1990) conceptual framework, patterns of ideological content were identified and analyzed. Most articles, subtly drawing upon iconic images of police professionals and vigilantes, cast victims of police killings as physical and social threats and situate police actions within legitimate institutional roles. Articles appearing after police killed Amadou Diallo are less likely to demonize both police officers and victims, partially reflecting efforts to frame deadly force and police racism as systemic issues.