Framing

How messages define what we notice—and what we overlook.

What framing means

Framing is the process of selecting and emphasizing certain aspects of an issue so that audiences are encouraged to understand it in a particular way. A frame can define a problem, suggest its causes, make moral judgments, and point toward particular solutions (Entman, 1993).

Why it matters

No message can include every possible fact or perspective. Choices about headlines, images, labels, examples, and sources make some features more visible than others. Goffman (1974) described frames as interpretive structures that help people organize experience and answer a basic question: what is going on here?

How to use it

When analyzing a message, identify what is placed inside the frame and what remains outside it. Ask who is presented as responsible, whose perspective receives attention, which details are repeated, and which possible explanations disappear. Then imagine how the same event might look if a different frame were used.

Example

A public demonstration might be framed as a “protest for justice,” a “disruption,” or an “outbreak of disorder.” Each phrase directs attention toward different actors, values, and possible responses even when describing the same event.

Questions for the field

What does this concept help you notice in the message?
Which words, images, symbols, or choices provide the strongest evidence?
How might another audience interpret the same message differently?

References

Entman, R. M. (1993). Framing: Toward clarification of a fractured paradigm. Journal of Communication, 43(4), 51–58.
Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Harvard University Press.