FEMINIST MARCH OF 8M AND COVID-19: the role of the Spanish mainstream press in the criminalization of protest

MARCHA FEMINISTA DE 8M E COVID-19: o papel da grande imprensa espanhola na criminalização do protesto

MARCHA FEMINISTA DEL 8M Y COVID-19: el papel de la prensa española en la criminalización de la protesta

ABSTRACT

The research examines the methods in which social protest is criminalized through the media, as symbolic systems for the construction of reality that favor the control and reproduction of the social order. Based on the case study of the feminist demonstration on March 8, 2020, in Spain, the framing made by the newspapers El País, El Mundo, La Vanguardia, ABC and La Razón in their informative productions are analyzed. The observation period is between March 7 and June 21, 2020, when the first alarm state declared by the Spanish Government to fight the covid-19 pandemic ended. The results show that beyond the editorial and ideological lines of these media, the feminist protest was mainly demonized by the framing identified in the texts, through the construction of a general idea of responsibility in the spread of the virus.

Key words
Feminism; Social protest; Criminalization; Mass media; Covid-19