Hardships at Home: The Portrayal of Military Families in Traditional, Military Community, and Military-Focused News Publications

Abstract

Scholars have described a divide between military and civilian culture, often focusing on the relationship between civilian communities and the Armed Forces and its veterans. Equally important are the families of military personnel. News media are an important source of information about military society for many U.S. civilians. This study examined how three types of news publications portrayed military families on Twitter between 2010 and 2020. News content was drawn from 21 outlets that cater to (1) general audiences, (2) military communities, and (3) military personnel. News outlets often associated military families with terms related to hardship, including substandard housing, financial problems, and other issues. In 1,052 posts, news outlets used five frames to describe military families: hardship, support, education, honor, and politics. General news outlets focused on politics, covering PR events staged by politicians. News outlets in military communities focused on support and providing readers resources to help navigate life in a military family. News outlets catering to military personnel focused on hardships.