Episode 169: Anger and Pain Across America

For the first time since March 2, today’s episode of Polilogue focuses on something other than the Coronavirus. All of the Sunday shows centered the bulk, if not the entirety, of their time on the 140+ protests that took place after the death of George Floyd. Floyd died Monday, May 25 while in custody with the Minneapolis Police Department. This death, like many others before him, was videotaped by a witness nearby and has reignited a deep heartbreak and anger in this country.

All week thousands of people have taken to the streets protesting police brutality and echoing other frustrations of the Black Lives Matter movement. The news coverage of these protests has been non-stop all week. Today on Polilogue, we look at how these important weekly political shows are framing and explaining this issue. We explore whether they are simply reporting that people are angry, or if they are explaining why people are angry. We look at interviews that examine police accountability, and we scrutinize ones that focus only on violent protesters instead of violent police officers.

Chapters

Introduction

Highlight / Lowlight

The Police

The Protesters

Rankings

Closing

Shows discussed 

Face the Nation on CBS

State of the Union on CNN

Fox News Sunday on FOX

This Week on ABC

Meet the Press on NBC

Articles Discussed on the Show

Echoes of 1969 (Harvard Magazine)

Prisons are packed because prosecutors are coercing plea deals. And, yes, it's totally legal. (NBC News)

Thousands of Complaints Do Little to Change Police Ways (NYT)

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