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Defining and Dramatizing Death : a Framing Analysis of Newspaper

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Defining and Dramatizing Death : a Framing Analysis of Newspaper DEFINING AND DRAMATIZING DEATH: A FRAMING ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE OF PHYSICIAN-ASSISTED SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA IN SELECTED MICHIGAN NEWSPAPERS FROM 1996 TO 1999 By KIMBERLY A. LAUFFER A DISSERTATION PRESENTED TO THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA 2000 Copyright 2000 by Kimberly A. Lauffer ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the direct guidance and encouragement of the late Dr. Margaret A. Chmielewski, who first introduced me to the challenges of disability and sparked my interest in disability issues. Her encouragement of my academic pursuits ignited my interest in seeking a doctoral degree; and her invaluable insight, wisdom, and guidance always will remain close to my heart. The courage to follow my dream of a doctoral degree came from my family, including my mother and father, Carol and John Lauffer; my sister, Jaima Vance; brother, Scott Lauffer; and my maternal grandmother, Virginia Lingg. Thanks also must be given to my late paternal grandmother, Clarissa Lauffer, who always told and showed me that great things are possible with enough determination and dedication. My immediate family and other extended family, as well as many friends, have supported unceasingly my desire to complete my degree, even when I felt it would be an insurmountable task. I cannot express in terms clear enough just what their never-ending support has meant to me. I would like to acknowledge the faculty of the College of Journalism and Communications at the University of Florida, and offer a special thanks to my adviser and dissertation chair, Debbie Treise, and to the members of my dissertation committee, William McKeen, Cecil Mercer, and Kim Walsh-Childers. I was incredibly fortunate to 1 have these individuals as my teachers. They should not be held responsible for errors on the part of their student. Many other individuals have made this grueling process more endurable. I must offer a special note of thanks to my graduate student colleagues who offered unwavering support and goodwill: Aleen Ratzlaff, Laura Johnson, Carolyn Ringer Lepre, Debi Gross, and Michele Bush. I also am profoundly grateful for the personal and professional support of other faculty and staff of the University of Florida, especially Elaine Wagner, James Costello, Nancy Corbett, Marilyn Roberts, John Wright, Lisa Duke, Cynthia Morton, Kent Lancaster, Bill Chamberlin, Linda Vivian, Kay Flaile, Christina Barnes, Patricia Wickham, and Jody Hedge. And, sincerest thanks must go to Alyse Gotthoffer, whose personal support made the last six months possible. u TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i LIST OF TABLES vi ABSTRACT vii CHAPTERS 1 INTRODUCTION 1 Media as an Institution 5 News as a Concept 6 Definitions of News 7 Newsworthiness 8 News Values 8 Purpose of the Study 11 2 REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE 14 Euthanasia 14 Vulnerable Populations 17 Cultural Context 19 Religious Views on Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia 20 Medical Views on Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia 25 Legal and Ethical Views on Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia 30 Economic Views on Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia 34 Summary of cultural context 38 Media and Disability 39 News Media and Disability 43 Summary of Media and Disability 49 Theoretical Framework 50 Introduction to Frame Theory 50 Introduction to Analysis Using Frame Theory 55 Frame Theory in Media Research 64 Multimedia 65 Print Media 69 Television 76 Source Issues 78 Research Questions and Hypotheses 82 3 METHOD 88 Qualitative Methodology 89 Qualitative Content Analysis 91 Sample and Selection 93 Coding of Items 96 iii Data Analysis and Techniques 97 4 RESULTS 102 General Findings 102 Framing Analysis 105 RQ1: What Frames Are Used in Michigan Newspaper Coverage of Physician-Assisted Suicide and/or Euthanasia? What Frames, If Any, Dominate Stories? 105 Blame: Whose Fault Is It Anyway? 107 Dichotomy: Good Versus Evil 125 Entertainment: All the World’s a Stage 138 Fear: ‘Please Don’t Kill Me’ 141 Intent: Means to an End 150 Credibility: Whom Do We Believe? 151 War/Peace: The Battle for Tranquility 155 Freedom: Liberty to Die 157 RQ2: How Does the Framing of Stories About Physician-Assisted Suicide Change Over Time? 163 RQ5: What Kinds of Differences in Framing Exist Among the Four Michigan Newspapers? 168 Characterization 170 Dr. Death: Jack Kevorkian 171 Opportunist Extraordinaire: Geoffrey Fieger 179 Prosecutor or Persecutor: Richard Thompson 1 82 Homicide: Death by Kevorkian: L.J. Dragovic 183 Dr. “Killdare”: Edward Pierce 185 The Huddled Masses: People Who Died with Kevorkian’s Help 186 RQ7: How Are People with Disabilities Framed? 189 RQ8: Does Michigan Newspaper Coverage of Physician-Assisted Suicide Focus More on Events Than Issues? 191 Source Analysis 192 RQ3: What Sources Are Relied Upon in Michigan Newspaper Coverage of Physician-Assisted Suicide and/or Euthanasia? What Sources, If Any, Dominate Stories? 193 RQ4: How Does Sourcing for Michigan Newspaper Stories About Physician-Assisted Suicide Change Over Time? 196 RQ6: What Kinds of Differences in Sourcing Exist Among the Four Michigan Newspapers? 197 HI: Other Sources Are Used More Often than People with Disabilities as Sources in Stories About Physician-Assisted Suicide and/or Euthanasia 202 5 DISCUSSION 203 Importance of the Issue 206 Discussion of Study and Findings 208 Comparing this Study to Others 227 IV Limitations 231 Future Research 232 Implications 233 APPENDICES A CHRONOLOGY OF KEVORKIAN’S MICHIGAN ACTIVITY 239 B MICHIGAN NEWSPAPERS INCLUDED IN THE SAMPLE AND AVERAGE CIRCULATION FIGURES 242 C NEWSPAPER EDITIONS INCLUDED IN SAMPLE 243 D CODING SHEET AND GUIDELINES 245 REFERENCES 252 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 267 v 1 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Types of items in the selected newspapers 103 Table 2: Frame change over time 164 Table 3: Primary focus of items by year 165 Table 4: Primary and secondary approach of items 166 Table 5: Primary approach of items by year 167 Table 6: Types of items by year 168 Table 7: In-state focus by newspaper 169 Table 8: Types of items by newspaper 17 Table 9: Approach of item by type of item 192 Table 10: Sources by year 195 Table 11: Sources by newspaper 198 Table 12: Average number of sources used per story by newspaper 199 vi ACADEMIC ABSTRACT Abstract of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Defining and Dramatizing Death: A Framing Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in Selected Michigan newspapers from 1996 to 1999 by Kimberly A. Fauffer August 2000 Chair: Dr. Deborah Treise Major Department: Journalism and Communications In 1998 Michigan residents voted down a law that would have legalized physician- assisted suicide. Because of several regulatory attempts as well as because of Jack Kevorkian’s activity in Michigan, the state’s newspapers were expected to have several news stories about euthanasia and/or physician-assisted suicide. This study examines newspaper coverage of euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and physician-assisted death in four Michigan newspapers: the Detroit Free Press, the Detroit News, the Grand Rapids Press, and the Lansing State Journal. The study discusses the results of quantitative and qualitative analyses performed on the 257 newspaper stories collected from January 1996 to June 1999. Framing analyses and source analyses were performed to address the specific research questions and hypothesis. Additional analyses of characterization were conducted as these portrayals emerged from the analysis as an important aspect of the framing of physician-assisted suicide. A multistage, cluster, stratified random sample was constructed to facilitate data analysis. The sample included 28 days per day of the week, divided into eight each for 1996, 1997, and 1998, and four for the six-month period of 1999. Emergent frames were identified and coded using the constant comparative method. The major frames in this study were blame, dichotomy, and fear. Minor frames included entertainment, intent, credibility, war/peace, and freedom. Several of these frames served to maintain event- centered coverage, which allowed writers to ignore underlying, complex issues in favor of captivating anecdotes and trivial details. Although he was not the focal point of this study, stories that addressed the issues of physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia often revolved around Kevorkian, the state’s most vocal and visible practitioner and assisted-suicide activist. He was used as the movement’s mouthpiece, a symbol of the movement to legalize the practice, and a fearsome threat of the practice run amok. From this study, it is clear that the forces hoping to legalize physician-assisted suicide in Michigan had little hope of success. The ways the newspapers and journalists framed the issue of physician-assisted suicide practically guaranteed that the movement would meet with failure in the 1998 election. viii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION “News is a window on the world” (Tuchman, 1978, p. 1). In 1998, near the end of the November sweeps period, Jack Kevorkian thrust the issue of euthanasia back into the media spotlight with the airing on 60 Minutes of a home video he had prepared that depicted him injecting a lethal dose of drugs into the arm of Thomas Youk, a Michigan resident with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Less than one month before the video’s airing, voters in Michigan had rejected by a strong majority a ballot proposition to legalize assisted suicide (Shapiro, 1998). Critics have aimed two ethical criticisms against 60 Minutes’ airing of the home video. Lirst, it allowed Kevorkian to manipulate the show into providing him a national platform for his arguments concerning physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. Critics now are cautioning against allowing social activists to assume that the way to gain access to the national agenda is to send in a video.
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