How do the media frame issues when they are to blame?

The following article examines how mainstream media framed the story of Princess Diana's death when it was thought the paparazzi were solely to blame.

Hindman, E. (2003). The Princess and the Paparazzi: Blame, Responsibility, and the Media's Role in the Death of Diana. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 80(3), 666-688.

Hindman (2003) examined media framing after the death of Princess Diana, when paparazzi were partially to blame for the car crash. Her death resulted in public criticism of the media and their aggressive reporting methods. After analyzing 62 mainstream media editorials, she found that the media progressed through three stages of framing after the accident. “First, they distanced themselves from the photographers who chased her car before it crashed; second, they blamed those outside the media, including Diana herself; and third, they acknowledged some responsibility” (Hindman, 2003, p. 666). In this case, the media sought to use message framing to shift blame away from them.

Media framing that leads to blaming the victim has obvious consequences for the way society understands minorities, social problems, and issues of which they have no direct understanding. While media must create vast quantities of material under certain professional constraints, Hindman’s study raises an important question about media’s responsibility when framing stories. If media are aware of the frames they create, as they were when they shifted the blame of Diana’s death away from themselves, should society call for greater media responsibility when reporting about minorities and societal issues? This one study does not indicate that media actively frame stories in ways that would mislead their audience, but it presents an opportunity to further understand media reporting.

Thoughts?