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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Social Influence and Political Communication

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Communication Faculty Publications

Animal Rights/Liberation

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Giving Voice To The "Voiceless:" Incorporating Nonhuman Animal Perspectives As Journalistic Sources, Carrie Packwood Freeman, Marc Bekoff, Sarah M. Bexell Jan 2011

Giving Voice To The "Voiceless:" Incorporating Nonhuman Animal Perspectives As Journalistic Sources, Carrie Packwood Freeman, Marc Bekoff, Sarah M. Bexell

Communication Faculty Publications

As part of journalism's commitment to truth and justice by providing a diversity of relevant points of view, journalists have an obligation to provide the perspective of nonhuman animals in everyday stories that influence the animals' and our lives. This essay provides justification and guidance on why and how this can be accomplished, recommending that, when writing about nonhuman animals or issues, journalists should: 1) observe, listen to, and communicate with animals and convey this information to audiences via detailed descriptions and audiovisual media, 2) interpret nonhuman animal behavior and communication to provide context and meaning, and 3) incorporate the …


Framing Animal Rights In The "Go Veg" Campaigns Of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations, Carrie Packwood Freeman Jan 2010

Framing Animal Rights In The "Go Veg" Campaigns Of U.S. Animal Rights Organizations, Carrie Packwood Freeman

Communication Faculty Publications

How much do animal rights activists talk about animal rights when they attempt to persuade America's meat-lovers to stop eating nonhuman-animals? This study serves as the basis for a unique evaluation and categorization of problems and solutions as framed by five major U.S. animal rights organizations in their vegan/food campaigns. Findings reveal organizations framed problems as: cruelty and suffering; commodification; harm to humans and the environment; and needless killing. To solve problems, largely blamed on factory farming, activists asked consumers to become "vegetarian" (meaning vegan) or reduce animal product consumption, some requesting "humane"reforms. While certain messages supported animal rights, promoting …


This Little Piggy Went To Press: The American News Media's Construction Of Animals In Agriculture, Carrie Packwood Freeman Jan 2009

This Little Piggy Went To Press: The American News Media's Construction Of Animals In Agriculture, Carrie Packwood Freeman

Communication Faculty Publications

This textual analysis examines the representations of farmed animals in national print and broadcast news discourse in over 100 stories published from 2000-2003. Findings show these American news media largely support the speciesist status quo by favoring elite viewpoints and failing to provide balance. Although exceptions are provided, news media often objectify nonhuman animals discursively through: 1) commodification, 2) failure to acknowledge their emotional perspectives, and 3) failure to describe them as inherently-valuable individuals.