Newspaper Representations Research Articles

‘Crazy Chinese’ and the 2017 nuclear crisis: A Peruvian newspaper representation of Kim Jong-Un

This study analyzes the narrative characteristics of graphic and written language regarding Kim Jong-Un in the peruvian newspaper ‘El Trome’. This occurred in May of 2017, when mainstream press in Peru closely followed national corruption scandals, whilst ‘El Trome’ focused on a different news story: the nuclear crisis between the United States and North Korea, popularizing the term “Crazy Chinese” in order to refer to the controversial Asian leader. Grounded Theory precepts were employed, which included content analysis of the newspaper covers as well as in depth interviews of the newspapers with both Trome’s General Editor and Design Editor. The newspaper maximized the fear associated with an impending nuclear war, constructing a journalistic message from a sequence of events with two main protagonists: Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un, unpredictable leaders with access to nuclear weapons. The strategy appealed to black humor and entertainment in order to position an agenda independent from mainstream press, which focused on internal politics at the time.

Newspaper Representation of Mandatory Vaccination Against COVID-19 for Healthcare Workers in England: A Qualitative Framing Analysis

In 2021, vaccination against COVID-19 became mandatory for healthcare workers in England. The media coverage of the mandate was extensive and became an issue of public interest. This study aimed to understand the United Kingdom (UK) debate on mandatory COVID-19 vaccination through a framing analysis of UK media coverage. Articles written between November 2021 and April 2022 were identified from UK national newspapers: The Daily (and Sunday) Telegraph, the Times (and Sunday Times), the Guardian (and the Observer), the Independent, the Daily Mail (and Mail on Sunday), the Daily Mirror, the Daily Express, and the Sun. Articles were selected using eligibility criteria before framing analysis was undertaken. The sample included 204 articles. Safe Staffing, Treatment of Staff, Change in Covid Context, and Protect Patient Safety were identified as frames used to stimulate debate on the mandatory vaccination policy. Such frames established three broader concepts in the media: civil liberty theory, duty-based ethics, and social-vulnerability theory. This study analyzed how mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for healthcare workers in England was framed in the UK national media. The broader concepts built in the media heightened debate on the policy, creating a voluminous amount of coverage and criticism that may have played a role in the mandate’s reversal.

Critical Discourse Analysis of Ethnic and Religious Minority Representation in Newspapers in Pakistan

Critical Discourse Analysis of Ethnic and Religious Minority Representation in Newspapers in Pakistan

From other-representation to self-representation: exploring identity and activism in historical news media writing

This study addresses a significant gap in our understanding of self-representation in historical news media reporting. It focusses on one significant historical publication: the first nationally distributed Indigenous Australian newspaper written and edited by First Nations people – The Australian Abo Call: The Voice of the Aborigines (hereafter The AAC). The AAC was published in six editions in 1938, the year of the 150th anniversary of invasion of the continent now known as Australia. The corpus consists of all (non-fiction) articles from all six editions of this newspaper, which was founded, edited and largely written by Yorta Yorta man J.T. (Jack) Patten. As such, the study offers a synchronic ‘snapshot’ of a particular moment in Australian history. The study uses corpus-assisted discourse analysis to explore the linguistic construction of self-representation – how First Nations people write about themselves and the communities they represent. I proceed from inductively identifying group-based identity labels to categorising these labels in terms of their positionality in relation to ‘self’ and ‘other’. Using concordances, the study also qualitatively examines these identity labels through transitivity analysis. The results suggest that The AAC was a site of political awakening directed at both Indigenous and white Australians, calling on the former to mobilise, on the latter to listen, and on both to act. The analysis also shows that this activism sits very much within the dominant Western/Colonial frame, reflecting the historical settler-colonial context of the period in which this newspaper was published. The study has broader implications for corpus-assisted discourse analysis, by indicating the insights we gain by shifting our gaze away from ‘other’-representation in mainstream newspapers towards ‘self’-representation in community-led publications.

‘We want kids, not nukes’: a critical discourse analysis of newspaper representations of children in anti-nuclear movements in Taiwan, 1987–2019

ABSTRACT Environmental Sociology has addressed gender, racial, and class dynamics within environmental movements, but the involvement of children, particularly in East Asia, remains under-researched. This article examines the representations of children in the news articles of Taiwanese anti-nuclear movements. With critical discourse analysis, the study examines 154 newspaper articles from two major newspapers published between 1987 and 2019. This article characterizes the representations of children in the news in three types: as slogans, as silent participants, and as defenders of rights. The paper shows that children have been reported in the news articles since the inception of the anti-nuclear movements, but their opinions were only recently reported. Dismissing children’s voices in the news articles could be related to undermining children’s capacity and agency to form views. The shifting representations of children in the news articles symbolize evolving power relations between children and adults, which are fluid, dynamic, and diverse rather than static. This article calls for a reflection on how children are represented in mass media and how the representations reveal the underlying presumption of children by adults.

Trading crime for culture? Activating territorial stigma through cultural regeneration in Paisley

ABSTRACT Discourses of cultural regeneration have proliferated in recent years. Culture, it is argued, provides a means of revitalizing the social, physical and economic fortunes of towns and cities facing myriad challenges in the post-industrial epoch. Aside from the associated economic value attached, it is often assumed that cultural regeneration can improve the reputation of stigmatized places by harnessing positive media representations. However, the ability to challenge stigmatizing discourse sits in contrast to research which implicates media representations of violence, crime and post-industrial decline in the (re)production of territorial stigma. Drawing on Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA), this paper explores this tension in the context of the Scottish town of Paisley. Interview data, online workshops and newspaper representations are utilized to explore how “stigmatizing” discourses of Paisley as blighted by illicit drug use, violent crime and (sub)urban decline are invoked to legitimise cultural regeneration strategies to challenge the town’s negative reputation. This underlines the political utility of territorial stigma in producing a reputation gap whereby cultural regeneration provides an opportunity for the local state to juxtapose visions of a “regenerated”, gentrified Paisley with stigmatizing discourses of post-industrial decay.

What is populism anyway? Newspaper representations of populism in Spain and Italy between emptiness and political partisanship

The rise of populism in Europe has been accompanied by increasing use of the term in the media. This has been studied in the European press from the democratic corporatist or liberal media systems, but there is a lack of studies on southern Europe and the polarized pluralist media system. Using a content analysis of newspaper articles, we investigate the journalistic construction of populism in Spain and Italy, two countries belonging to the polarized pluralist media system. Results show that the notion of populism is often negatively connotated but remains quite vague and “empty”. Unlike previous results in northern and western European countries, political partisanship and parallelism play an important role in the use of populism in newspapers.

Distinguishing social actor’s representation in online newspapers: a thematic study through critical discourse analysis

Distinguishing social actor’s representation in online newspapers: a thematic study through critical discourse analysis

Newspaper media representations of athlete experiences with eating disorders: a critical discourse analysis

ABSTRACT Athletes are at a greater risk (13.5%) of developing eating disorders (EDs) compared to the general population (4.6%). Recently, media attention on athletes with EDs has substantially increased. Given the considerable role of the media in shaping our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviours, the purpose of this study was to examine dominant discourses surrounding newspaper media portrayals of athletes with EDs. Data were collected using the NexisUni Academic database to search for newspaper articles published from 1 January 2021 to 7 June 2022. We included 154 articles for analysis. We performed a critical discourse analysis to examine what journalists say about athlete experiences with EDs, how such experiences are described, and how this constructs athlete identities (i.e. subject positions). Two key discourses were identified, each composed of underlying subject positions. The first discourse, A discourse of healthism, constructed meanings of who to hold accountable for the ED. Within this discourse were two subject positions: The self-destructive woman athlete and The legitimate athlete. The second discourse, A discourse of reductionism, centralised journalists’ reduction of the complexity of EDs. Underlying this discourse were two subject positions: The denialist man athlete and The (hyper)feminised athlete. Findings reveal how journalists drew upon discourses surrounding the body, food, and sport participation that were limiting for both women and men athletes, thus playing an active role in (re)producing gendered and physical stereotypes about athletes with EDs. These findings highlight the importance of media guidelines to resist and avoid perpetuating such stereotypes.

Review of Wu (2023): Media Representations of Macau’s Gaming Industry in Greater China: A Corpus-based Critical Discourse Analysis

Abstract Media Representations of Macau’s Gaming Industry in Greater China, written by Yuxi Wu, adopts a corpus-based critical discourse analysis method to compare newspaper media representations of Macau’s gaming industry in 2014 in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and Macau, the three regions of China with different historical backgrounds, economic conditions, political systems, and social norms. The topical preferences, attitudinal differences and ideological stances of English-language newspapers published in these three regions are revealed in this research.

Visual representation of safety in urban spaces: a tale of two neighbourhoods

Urban studies have addressed the role of media with regard to the ways in which the production of news affects the practicing of urban life. Media promotes urban growth, but also plays a role in the creation of negative images ascribed to places and neighbourhoods. This paper explores discourses of safety and security, illustrated in Swedish newspaper representations of two neighbourhoods in Malmö, Sweden, with different social status. Content analysis and discourse analysis methods were used to contribute to the understanding of potentiality as well as hindrances for a just urban planning. The overall result shows a negative image of Bellevuegården as a problematic area, whereas Västra Hamnen is presented as an attractive and safe neighbourhood. The study also identifies the interrelations and intertextuality between each neighbourhood and the city of Malmö as a whole. It is highlighted how Malmö has struggled with its negative reputation as a dangerous city. To favour one and disfavour another area does not contribute to equality and integration, which is the vision involved in the comprehensive planning of Malmö city. It has been concluded that the news media's representation of neighbourhoods has influenced how they are perceived, both by inhabitants and by society at large.

Perpetration, Victimhood, and Blame: Australian Newspaper Representations of Domestic Violence, 2000-2020.

Newspaper media plays a significant role in forming a public understanding of domestic violence. This article analyses 554 articles from 24 newspapers across Australian states and territories published between 2000 and 2020 that describe specific instances of domestic violence. It examines whether such violence is framed as a systemic issue or as a collection of individual events, as well as how such representations of perpetrators and victims displace both "blame" and "victimhood." Although positive aspects of reporting can be observed, the tendency within newspaper articles to blur distinctions between perpetrators and victims distorts the true scale of domestic violence in Australia.

Exploring the Newspaper Representation on Victim-Blaming in Bangladesh: A Recent Case Study

The study investigates the depiction of victim-blaming culture in Bangladeshi newspapers in the context of a specific suicidal case, employing content analysis to explore the representation of the particular incident on a grander scale than previously thought. Using the “Social Representation Theory,” this research focuses on the representation of the victim in Bangladeshi newspapers and attempts to establish the blaming culture prevalent in the country through a specific instance. This mixed-methods study analyzes 27 selected news items regarding the particular case. Data is gathered from five major newspapers (The Daily Star, Prothom Alo, KalerKantho, Samakal, and DeshRupantor) and evaluated using a range of statistical methods. This study describes the victim’s linguistic representation in society through textual analysis of four major elements. It is discovered in this paper that the involvement of a well-known figure was the most concerning issue, but that the print media, specifically newspapers, attempted to conceal that involvement by focusing on other factors such as the victim’s lifestyle, occupation, and identity, all of which were found to be of great concern by selective newspapers, resulting in negative public opinion toward the victim. According to the authors, even if they are subjected to ownership pressures or pressures from other perpetrators, the national dailies of Bangladesh should portray the actual situation as accurately as possible. Keywords: explore, newspaper representation, victim-blaming, Bangladesh

Newspaper Representation of Transgender in Pakistan: A Multi-Modal Analysis

The aim of the research was to analyze the media visibility of transgenders. The study was conducted via a multi-modal analysis of photographs of trans-genders published in two leading dailies of Pakistan. The analysis was conducted on two levels according to the meta-functions of the visual design as proposed by Kress & van Leeuwen (1996), which are ideational and interpersonal. On the ideational level, five themes emerged which were categorized as images showing confidence, glamour, deprivation, protest, and harassment. The number of images with the themes of confidence and glamour was significantly more in number in comparison to the themes of deprivation, harassment, and protests which were significantly fewer in number although they bear the closest affinity to the everyday lives of the subjects. On the interpersonal level, it is interesting that most of the photographs maintained direct eye contact between the subject and the viewer and thus create an interpersonal bond. A major anomaly that was observed referred to the absolute exclusion of female to male transgenders or trans-males, which is another case of symbolic annihilation.

“If they call me, ‘sir’: American newspaper representations of military women”

ABSTRACT Drawing on content analyses of 175 newspaper articles about repealing the ban on American women serving on the front lines of combat, this paper explores how news media portrayed military women. Historically, media depicted women in war as damsels in distress, yet after a decade of women’s service in blurred front lines, media had ample opportunities to frame women differently. The news media have a powerful role in reinforcing or challenging hegemonic masculinity when presenting women as warriors. Using an intersectional lens, this paper finds that news media portray women as legitimate warriors; however, media do not discuss military women’s race, ethnicity, sexuality, or family roles, rendering women as one-dimensional. Implications of one-dimensional representations of military women make diversity indiscernible and reinforces the double-bind, which upholds hegemonic masculinity and limits women’s career potential both within the military and the labor force, more broadly.

Colors and Orientalism as associations: Exploring the semiotic (re)presentation of Saudi women in British and Saudi newspapers

AbstractMedia representations can have significant influence in shaping opinions and influence public response to certain communities or gender and ethnic representations around the world. Investigating semiotic representation in linguistic discourse as vehicles for meaning in culture has been a fruitful area of research over the past decades. This study explores how stereotypes of women feed into the representations of Saudi women in contemporary press in Britain and Saudi Arabia. The focus is on the newspaper genre. Data for this study have been gleaned from a particular set of British and Saudi newspapers. Using the Color Image Scale (CIS) as a research tool, this study yielded a number of findings, the main one of which is the discrepancy in Saudi women's representation in the journalistic discourse under study. In addition, variances in color choice and usage between the newspapers in the present study were apparent. The study provides an important opportunity to advance our understanding of Saudi women's representation in British versus Saudi newspapers. The present study also makes a major contribution to research on critical discourse analysis by demonstrating how power as well as orientalism impact Saudi women's representation. The findings of this study are important for scholars of gender, religion, media, and cultural diversity.

‘Real rape’ and the coverage of sexual violence in Dutch newspapers, 1880 to 1930

ABSTRACT Feminist criminologists have used the concept of ‘real rape’ – the understanding of rape as a violent act by a stranger – to explain the low prosecution of acquaintance rape in contemporary society. It is argued that the media perpetuates this understanding of rape by focusing on violent assaults by strangers. Systematic analyses of such distortions in press coverage in earlier periods are, however, lacking. This article considers the Netherlands in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, an interesting case because Dutch law explicitly criminalised certain forms of acquaintance assault. The article aims to determine and explain newspaper representations of the relationship between the perpetrator and victim in the coverage of sexual assault. The analysis is based on a dataset of all items on the sexual assault of women and girls in four newspapers and five sample years between 1880 and 1930. The results show that assaults by acquaintances made up only a small proportion of the cases reported in the newspapers. Many of the items match the ‘real rape’ concept. The evidence suggests the journalists were overreporting violent stranger rapes both because such stories were more easily available and because they carried a more appealing message for readers.

Negotiating Ambiguous Substance Use: UK newspaper representations of self-prescribing medicinal cannabis use in the 1990s

Negotiating Ambiguous Substance Use: UK newspaper representations of self-prescribing medicinal cannabis use in the 1990s

Negotiating Ambiguous Substance Use: UK newspaper representations of self-prescribing medicinal cannabis use in the 1990s

This paper examined representations of medicinal cannabis users in UK newspapers, 1990–1998. It is important to understand the significance of these newspaper articles during this early stage of the growing cultural normalisation of medicinal cannabis use, in the UK, which is not documented in the existing literature. This is a very different period in relation to access to information for members of the public because it was before the widespread use of the internet. The significance of these dates is also that I started interviewing medicinal cannabis users in 1998, which led to Coomber et al. (2003). Very significantly, almost half of the participants in that article indicated that newspapers were the source of the idea that cannabis was medicinally useful and that this accounted for why they began to use it medicinally. What was in those newspaper articles that encouraged this view? In the current article, I examined 60 newspaper articles about medicinal cannabis use, using a thematic analysis which also draws on aspects of critical discourse analysis. I report on the process of symbolic boundary work which negotiates the ambiguity of individuals portrayed as social insiders but who used cannabis. The representations within the articles emphasized the social insider characteristics of medicinal cannabis users, emphasized their genuine illnesses/impairments, but interestingly also articulated misunderstandings by the journalists which contributed to a positive portrayal.

The myth of home exhibition 1915: implications of the home exhibition in Gyeongseong during the Japanese colonial period

ABSTRACT This study intends to historically examine the modern residential discourses of Joseon emerging in the 1910s through the Home Exhibition 1915 held in Colonial Joseon, and to critically explore the meanings of the home exhibition through a visual analysis of print publications discussing the exhibition content. In examining and exploring the home exhibition, this study found that imperial Japan secured the justification for its colonization of Joseon through the purported superiority of its “civilization”, and its attempts to improve Joseon homes were from the perspective of Japanese Orientalism. The so-called Colonial Policy of subjecting to Japan, which underlies the imperialistic state system, was the hidden factor driving the improvement mechanism encouraging the progression from sound home to sound society and to sound state. Therefore, the home exhibition held in 1915 represents a concrete representation of Japanese Orientalism. By publicizing this concrete representation in newspapers and magazines, Japan’s strategy of colonial cultural rule allowed for the Joseon public to be incorporated into the mechanism of Japanese Imperialism without feeling an aversion to it, and this strategy was expansively reproduced throughout Colonial Joseon.