Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2000

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Communication

Major Professor

Dorothy Dowles

Committee Members

Barbara Moore, Eric Haley, Thomas Hood

Abstract

This dissertation focuses on the relationship between television news and social movements. More specifically, it examines the growing numbers of people who believe the government is infringing upon their civil rights. The groups formed by these protesters are referred to as to as "militias." For The American contemporary militias,the core organizing issues are concerns involving such matters as gun control,taxes.Constitutional liberties, and federal regulations. Operating in virtually every state, these militias share a primary goal,which is to bring about social change. At The heart of the study is television news because news is not neutral but selective, and those stories with more potential for dramatic conflict are more likely to appear in the newscast, painting a picture of the militia movement that may or many not be accurate.Taking as a fundamental idea that the media engage in the social construction of reality,the author analyzed news stories as part of the historically specific meanings,values and assumptions inevitably embedded in society. Using framing analysis as theory,this study qualitatively investigates the relationship between network news and the militia movement.Here,frames provide a systematic way of explaining how people use expectations to make sense of everyday situations. Additionally,frames make human resistant to change and can arouse "strong emotions" such as hate,fear or love.As a result,the ways in which the media"frame" stories and the decisions journalists make or fail to make will affect public understanding of the militia phenomena.Methodologically,this dissertation uses a grounded theory approach. Through(textual)analysis of verbal and visual texts in three hundred and seven television news stories taken from ABC,CBS and NBC newscasts from 1989 to 1999,this study explores how the three major network news organizations "framed" the militia.This study found that the major frames used by network reporters and producers included: terrorism, domestic terrorism, war and peace,and government control.

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