Media Coverage of Tennessee's Amendment 1

In 2014, Tennesseans went to the polls to vote on a controversial abortion amendment to the state constitution that was years in the making. Two organizations – Yes on 1 and No on One – spent millions of dollars on advertising to insert their rhetoric into the public debate and sway voter opinion. To some, Amendment 1 represented a chance for Tennesseans to take back control over abortion regulations in the state and protect women and girls. To others, the measure went too far and constituted unnecessary government interference into private decisions. For many, the issue set two deeply-held values against one another: personal privacy rights and disapproval of abortion. The fierce – and expensive – battle over Amendment 1 played out on social media, in television ads, and in news media coverage of the issue.