#Notallcops: Exploring ‘Rotten Apple’ Narratives In Media Reporting of Lush’s 2018 ‘Spycops’ Undercover Policing Campaign
Open Access
- 25 May 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Queensland University of Technology in International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy
- Vol. 9 (4), 177-194
- https://doi.org/10.5204/ijcjsd.v9i4.1518
Abstract
This article examines the media framing of the 2018 ‘paid to lie’ campaign of Lush, a high-street ethical cosmetics firm. The viral nature of Lush’s intervention into the undercover policing of activism in the United Kingdom highlights the significance of media reporting in the construction of narratives surrounding policing and activism. A qualitative content analysis was undertaken of articles published online in the immediate aftermath of the campaign launch. Based on this analysis, this article argues that the intensely polarised debate following Lush’s ‘paid to lie’ campaign is representative of a wider discursive framing battle that continues to persist today. Within this battle, the state and police establishment promote ‘rotten apple’ explanations of the undercover policing scandal that seek to individualise blame and shirk institutional accountability (Punch 2003). This is significant, as identifying systemic dimensions of the ‘spycops’ scandal is a key focus for activists involved in the ongoing Undercover Policing Inquiry (Schlembach 2016).Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- Undercover policing and the spectre of ‘domestic extremism’: the covert surveillance of environmental activism in BritainSocial Movement Studies, 2018
- Critical animal and media studies: Expanding the understanding of oppression in communication researchEuropean Journal of Communication, 2018
- Policing unacceptable protest in England and Wales: A case study of the policing of anti-fracking protestsCritical Social Policy, 2018
- Judicial opportunities and the death of SHAC: legal repression along a cycle of contentionSocial Movement Studies, 2016
- Neoliberalism and the post-hegemonic war of position: The dialectic between invisibility and visibilitiesEuropean Journal of Communication, 2015
- When cops “go native”: policing revolution through sexual infiltration and panopticonismCritical Studies on Terrorism, 2014
- Researching counterterrorism: a critical perspective from the field in the light of allegations and findings of covert activities by undercover police officersCritical Studies on Terrorism, 2014
- Invisible Crimes and Social HarmsPublished by Springer Science and Business Media LLC ,2014
- `No emotion, no sympathy': The visual construction of Maxine CarrCrime, Media, Culture: An International Journal, 2008
- Violent police behavior: Past, present, and future research directionsAggression and Violent Behavior, 2005