HABRI Central

Two recently published projects documented a peak in print coverage of animal-related topics in the late 1980s with a subsequent decline in coverage. One of the studies specifically tracked media coverage of activism on behalf of animals and documented a similar trend in the number of stories on the subject. Those observations are confirmed by the findings of a study, reported in this paper, that tracked print coverage of three annual animal rights events in the USA over a period of 13 years. In addition to charting trends in coverage, the study attempted to compare the level of media coverage with the level of activist participation. Differences are also noted between media attention to protest and nonprotest events. This is the third in a series of articles on the role of the media in animal protection; the fourth and final paper will discuss the use of advertising to promote animal protection.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

1. Animal activism
2. Animal protection
3. Media
4. peer-reviewed