Mass Media and Governmental Framing of Riots: The Case of Tulsa, 1921

This research extends the theoretical concept of framing to the phenomenon of race riots using the Tulsa riot of 1921 as a case study. Media accounts of this riot published during 1921 illustrate both prognostic and diagnostic framing strategies and techniques and demonstrate how these processes affected official responses. Results of this research suggest that framing is a critical process associated with media and organizational representation of riots. Analyses indicate that the riot was officially attributed to an armed group of Black citizens whose goal was to protect one of its community members from a potential lynching. However, Black residents framed the riot differently in statements of their account of the events. A recurrent theme for both races and a number of media reports was that of inept and incompetent law enforcement officials. The authors suggest that prognostic solutions to riots (e.g., police strategies and tactics and reconciliatory attempts) are rooted in diagnostic assessments. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]