Latent Consensus in Public Debate: Media Discussion of Fathers' Rights in the UK

Abstract

In this paper, I investigate media debate on an issue of social concern in the UK: divorced fathers' relationships with their children. Working from 3 media texts that form part of the debate, I use qualitative content analysis and systemic functional analysis to elucidate stances taken by speakers as they characterize social actors in situations of postdivorce parenting. I argue that beneath the apparently adversarial positions expressed, there exist consensual discourse models that are not made available for questioning. These latent discourse models tend to foment ideological closure, and to stifle voices attempting to reframe the debate. Such closure is unhelpful to an understanding of the complexities of modern family life, and may itself contribute to the social problems debated.