To Light or Not to Light Up For Pride

I watched the Jacksonville, Florida, local news yesterday. I watched with a new perspective, fresh from my latest lecture in my Mass Communications Theory course. I thoughtfully considered each segment, wondering why they were important enough to be in the 30-minute broadcast. Once the requisite weather and traffic updates are done, precious few minutes remain for broadcasting actual news.

Every day journalists investigate, follow up, and publish news stories that consist of the “news of the day.” Someone, likely an editor, publisher, or producer, decides to put the story out in the universe. They also play a part in determining how the story will portray the news and which quotes or interviews to include, otherwise known as agenda setting. The agenda setting theory comprises three processes: priming, issue obtrusiveness, and framing.

Source: https://literariness.org/2017/11/26/agenda-setting-media-theory/

So, back to my 5:00 p.m. news-watching experience. The lead story was about the Acosta Bridge in downtown Jacksonville. The bridge is lit every night in blue, which beautifully reflects on the St. Johns River and brings some flair to our little city. The Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) occasionally lights the bridge in other colors to celebrate local events or bring awareness to causes. This week, the bridge was scheduled to be lit in rainbow colors to celebrate Pride month. The bridge was supposed to be lit in rainbow colors for an entire week. After the first night, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ordered JTA to change the lights back to blue, citing that they were out of compliance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10MidWikJBA

Source: https://youtu.be/10MidWikJBA

The media was priming this issue for me. Without the media reports, I would have had no idea the original plan was altered. This issue was also unobtrusive to me. I was not aware the bridge was being lit for Pride. The Acosta Bridge’s lighting is not an everyday issue that affects me. By highlighting this story, the media made me care about it. Now I wanted to know why the change was ordered. Lighting a bridge in rainbow colors seems like an innocuous thing that shows inclusiveness for everyone in our community. I was a little angry that a statewide authority ordered our city to extinguish the lights celebrating Pride.

By this point, I am primed and aware of the story. I am invested in an issue I had no knowledge of. How did First Coast News frame the story for the viewer?

· The news anchor referred to the community response to FDOT’s decision as “outrage.”

· JTA has lit the bridge in colors that were not in compliance with the existing permit on numerous occasions, and no changes were ordered. This seems to indicate some bias on the part of FDOT.

· The reasoning FDOT gave for ordering the change was that they had received several complaints about the rainbow lighting. However, when asked, FDOT did not provide any specifics about the complaints.

· One interview was featured in the segment with Cindy Watson, the CEO at Jasmyn, a non-profit supporting LGBTQ youth in Jacksonville. Watson’s point of view was that when FDOT ordered the change, the impact of the change was felt regardless of the intent.

· FDOT ordered the change just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning transgender girls and women from participating in female sports teams.

· FDOT also denied permission for a bridge in Sarasota, Florida, to be lit in rainbow colors.

· A statement from the governor’s office was included noting that the governor had nothing to do with FDOT’s actions.

The story's framing left me feeling that there is more to the story than is currently known. I am invested, and I will now pay closer attention to follow-up stories as they come out.

There is nothing wrong with agenda setting. All media do it. But viewers should be aware of it and seek out other points of view if they desire.

Lighting permitted on the Acosta Bridge. Source: https://twitter.com/benryananjax