I am currently conducting research for my MSc in Political Science on the framing of veganism in the UK news media. Through a content analysis and framing analysis of national newspaper articles, I aim to contribute to research on the role of the media in shaping public opinion on veganism. Focusing on the recent shift from the word ‘vegan’ to ‘plant-based’ in the media, in businesses, and in society more generally, I aim to explore whether frames used in newspaper articles differ when utilizing vegan or plant-based discourses, and whether these differences may be significant for veganism.
This project was inspired by a concern that the movement from veganism to plant-based loses an important ethical dimension, making it a consumer choice, with the hypothesis that plant-based discourses in the news media will prove to be more morally speciesist than vegan discourse. Ultimately, the study hopes to find evidence which can help decipher whether this change is detrimental to the goals of veganism, or whether it does, in fact, represent a step towards a more accessible and inclusive way to promote the reduction of animal exploitation.
