Is your favorite crime drama actually a sophisticated public relations tool?
In short: From "square-jawed" heroes in 1950s procedurals to viral lip-sync battles on social media, the way we view law enforcement is often carefully curated. This phenomenon, known as "copaganda," uses media to shape public opinion, potentially obscuring misconduct and reinforcing deep-seated social misconceptions.
Copaganda—a portmanteau of "cop" and "propaganda"—refers to media intended to positively shape public opinion regarding police or to counter criticism of law enforcement. This manifests in several ways: news media uncritically repeating police narratives, fictional dramas portraying officers as infallible heroes, and viral videos of officers performing wholesome acts, such as the 2018 trend of police lip-sync challenges.
The mechanism often relies on narrative framing. For decades, television shows like Dragnet (1951–1959) and Adam 12 (1968–1975) established formulas where "good law men" defeated "bad guys," often depicted as people of color. This can reinforce racist misconceptions and minimize the perspective of victims. Even linguistic choices, such as using the passive voice in "officer-involved shooting" reports, can obscure the specific role an officer played in an incident.
The impact of these portrayals is significant because most citizens form their opinions of police through mass media rather than direct contact. This makes the maintenance of good press relations a crucial objective for many departments. In the wake of the 2020 George Floyd protests, this became a flashpoint for debate, leading to calls for increased scrutiny of how police are depicted in entertainment and news.
The political dimension is equally complex. Research conducted between June 2020 and October 2021 found that pro-police attitudes are firmly situated within the right-wing coalition of American politics. During this period, there was a small increase in pro-police attitudes, with the most significant increases observed among Black participants and Democrats.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Copaganda
- Also: Attitudes about Police and Race in the United States 2020-2021: Mean-level trends and associations with political attitudes, psychiatric problems, and COVID-19 outcomes
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