Contention and concerted consensus over (anti)racism: Tempering Black Lives Matter in Finnish mainstream media

This article discusses how struggles over the meanings of (anti)racism transpired in Finnish mainstream media coverage of the 2020 Black Lives Matter (BLM) demonstrations in Finland and the subsequent public contention related to (anti)racism. Utilizing frame analysis, I examine 243 articles published in three Finnish mainstream media news outlets between May 2020 and September 2021. I analyze what kinds of frames were mobilized and how specific frames were (de)prioritized in mainstream media contention related to (anti)racism during and following the demonstrations. Of the five most prevalent frames, three represent antiracist frames—the frames of experiential racism, structural racism, and colonial complicity—and two represent frames challenging antiracism: the frame from moderation to anti-wokeness and the frame of denial of colonial/racial history. I argue that while mainstream media coverage amplified and validated the antiracist frames, it simultaneously worked to contain contention within normatively defined “acceptable” parameters.