Whether they helped bring down Jose Mourinho, marched against their club’s owners or pushed back against plans to commercialise soccer, fans have a long history of using their passion as a tool for social change. Their protest stories are a reminder that fan activism is more than just a fad.
Some of the most compelling protest stories are not about people clapping placards, but about the personal and moral values that drive them. These fans see their team or the other fans they identify with as part of their family, and they have certain moral standards that they will not allow them to stray from. Just as you might drop a new acquaintance who has done something immoral, these fans may abandon their club or the fan culture they share with others if that is the best way to maintain their moral integrity.
When it comes to writing these kinds of articles, the most important thing is to tell a human story. This technique is called “framing.” Studies show that newsrooms should humanize people whose deaths prompt protests, especially among underrepresented groups. They should also use language that legitimizes, rather than delegitimizes, the protests.
In a recent study, we asked participants what effect these techniques had on their perceptions of how credible the story was. We found that stories told in a humanizing manner led Democrats and those with Democrat-leaning views to perceive the story as more credible. However, they did not affect the credibility perceptions of Republicans and those with Republican-leaning views.