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The Conversation
The Conversation
Danielle K. Brown, Professor of Journalism, Michigan State University

5 years after George Floyd’s murder: How the media narrative has changed around the killing and the protests that followed

Flowers, painted benches and handmade memorials surround a mural of George Floyd at George Floyd Square on May 18, 2025. Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images

On the evening of May 25, 2020, George Floyd was murdered by police outside a grocery store in Minneapolis.

From the outset, the incident became a battle of narratives. The local police initially reported Floyd was experiencing “distress” and died from a medical incident. A day later, bystander Darnella Frazier uploaded a video that showed the graphic details, including the police’s excessive use of force leading up to Floyd’s death.

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