Protests aren't what they look like on TV

What protest news coverage does — and doesn't — show you.

Become a Video Lab member!

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery have ignited protests around the world. Those protests have dominated news coverage. But when it comes to communicating the protests’ scale, character, and purpose, a lot of that coverage falls short.

Part of that is because of the media’s incentive to highlight the most dramatic imagery; it’s why so much protest coverage has been filled with violent and chaotic scenes of fire, looters, and tear gas. But it’s also because of the nature of protest imagery itself. In this video, journalism professor Jason Johnson and Vox editor Kainaz Amaria explain that, while the news can show you what a protest looks like, it’s a lot worse at telling you why it’s happening.

Further reading:


Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out

Watch our full video catalog:
Follow Vox on Facebook:
Or Twitter:

black lives matter,protests,police,riot,violence,Vox.com,vox,explain,explainer,George floyd,george floyd protest,george floyd death,george floyd video,floyd protest,protest,brooklyn protest,protest news,dc protest,police protest,nyc protest,2020 protest,protest today,riots,2020 riot,police riot,riot news,police car,police brutality,riot police,social media,Dr. Jason Johnson,Kainaz Amaria,Minneapolis,trayvon martin,breonna taylor,philando castile,