Framing

Frames are schemata of interpretation, presentation, and selection that allow individuals to organize experiences and events, endow them with meaning, and allow them to act as guides to action. As such, frames provide a selective lens through which reality is perceived. Framing refers to the process of socially constructing a phenomenon, an event, or an idea. This entry discusses the importance of framing in deliberating and deciding on issues of public concern by explaining how the process works; identifying the relevant actors, especially the role of journalists in news framing; providing a typology of framing; and exploring the resonance of framing in public relations and advertising, electoral politics, and management–organizational studies.