The media tends to present images and style not meaning and content: "the media intervene to label these activities as deviant or illegitimate, marginalising them and diverting public attention away from the root causes of social conflict towards its epiphenomenal forms." (McNair 1994, p. 32)

Protest actions and events are described as theatre spectacles rather than as "part of a democratic struggle over vital issues" (Parenti 1986, p. 99). It is the style that is copied and multiplied whilst the radical message of the protesters is diluted and ignored. Kellner argues that "when television portrays social change or oppositional movements, it often blunts the radical edge of new social forces, values, or changes. Moreover, it tries to absorb, co-opt, and defuse any challenges to the existing organisation of society." (Kellner 1990, p. 122)

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References:

Kellner, Douglas, 1990, Television and the Crisis of Democracy (Boulder: Westview Press).

McNair, Brian, 1994, News and Journalism in the UK (London and New York: Routledge).

Parenti, Michael, 1986, Inventing Reality: The Politics of the Mass Media (New York: St Martin's Press).