Mother as mother and mother as citizen: Mothers of combat soldiers on national network news

Abstract

This study examines national television news images of mothers of US combat soldiers during the first seven years of the Iraq War. News stories presented mothers as archetypal good mothers engaged in maternal work long after their children’s deployment. Some mothers were depicted as vocal vis-à-vis their position on the Iraq War, a contrast to the historical depiction of the archetypal patriotic mother who is stoic and silent. The resulting image is more complex, suggesting the boundaries of the archetype may be changing.