How Labor Gets Framed: Looking at the Workplace through a Consumer’s Eyes

Abstract

Labor unions and employment relations issues don’t get much attention from the news media. When these are covered, the actions of organized workersare usually presented as the problem rather than as part of the solution. How does this happen when journalism claims to be impartial?That’s the question examined in Framed! Labor and the Corporate Media, an excellent new book by Christopher R. Martin of the University of Northern Iowa. His answer: labor stories are framed from a consumer’s perspective. The news media address audiences as buyers of goods and services, and assume that public discussion should center on consumer behavior.