A Dialectical-Relational Critical Discourse Analysis
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The European Union in British news discourse from 2014 to 2015: A Dialectical-Relational Critical Discourse Analysis Anna Maria Wambach A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy School of Geography, Politics and Sociology May 2018 Abstract This thesis investigates how the European Union is represented in British news coverage and identifies why news coverage of the EU takes this character. Using a dialectical-relational framework of critical discourse analysis, EU-related articles and stories from five high-circulation newspapers and two prominent TV news broadcasts, collected in the run-up to the 2014 European Parliament and 2015 General Election, are analysed. Semi-structured interviews with British media professionals and EU press officers complement textual analysis. The thesis finds that news media only cover a narrow range of the EU’s activities, and focus on the UK context. Coverage tends to emphasise negative rather than positive aspects of the EU. Negative representations often draw on dominant, historical discourses about the relationship between the British Isles and mainland Europe. Where positive aspects are communicated these are principally limited to economic benefits. Grammatical, rhetorical, and intertextual features of coverage feed into and reinforce those patterns. The trends – with some differences between outlets– are observable throughout the sample. Interviews with media professionals show that general trends and differences between news outlets can be explained with reference to perceptions of the journalistic role, organisational structures and pressures within newsrooms and relationships of journalists with EU press officers. In particular, financial pressures necessitate high sales numbers, leading to focus on attention-grabbing events, often reported from an angle perceived to be acceptable to the audience. Interviews feed into a theoretical model explaining the particularities of EU reporting in the sample and more generally. These findings help us understand some of the dynamics leading to the UK’s decision to leave the EU and are suggestive of future representations of the EU and its relations with the UK. The thesis therefore contributes to literature on media representations of the EU, to research on news production, and to literature dealing with UK-EU relations more broadly. i ii Acknowledgements When I first contemplated pursuing a PhD, I was told that this would be a lonely journey. Once I started, however, I discovered that it does not have to be. For this – and so much more –, I would like to say thank you. To my supervisors, Dr Nick Randall, Phil Daniels and Dr Peter Sercombe. For open doors, extensive feedback, supportive meetings, challenging discussions and for keeping a close eye on my ever-expanding word count. Without their guidance, I would have been lost. To the Politics Department at Newcastle University for giving me this opportunity in the first place, for conference and fieldwork funding, and for all the little bits of advice I picked up on the way. To Funds for Women Graduates for supporting me financially throughout the writing-up stage and taking off some of the pressure on the home stretch. To my interview participants, for their time, insights and truly enjoyable conversations. Only their openness made the thesis in this form possible. To the University Association for Contemporary European Studies, in particular everyone at the UACES office and in the Graduate Forum committee, for development opportunities and companionship. To everyone based in the postgraduate office WG.25, as well as Dr Emily Rainsford and Dr Yoonjoo Cho, for the advice, laughter, communal complaining, running news commentary, and the gossip. They made the journey much more fun. To my family. My parents, Herbert and Gabi Wambach, who first encouraged my love for reading and learning, and who have supported me throughout my entire life, no matter what. I know I could knock on the door anytime and would be greeted with a buttered pretzel. My sister, Vroni Wambach, for bringing me down to earth when I need it. My grandmother, Maria Wambach, for all the support even though she would much prefer me being at home. My late great-grandmother, Katharina Himmelstoβ, for teaching me one of the most important life-lessons: If you don’t know how to do it, you simply have to learn it. Without them, I would have never had the courage to embark on this adventure. And to Adam Ridley, for being a voice of reason, for taking every panicked late-night call, for making the best quesadillas. For being there, all the way. iii iv Table of Contents List of Figures ............................................................................................................................ ix List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. x Chapter 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1. The significance of media representations for the British public debate about the European Union ...................................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Scope and contribution of this thesis ............................................................................... 3 1.3. Limitations of this thesis .................................................................................................. 8 1.4. Structure of the thesis .................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2. The European Union in the news: A literature review ........................................... 13 2.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 13 2.2. Quantitative research ..................................................................................................... 14 2.2.1. Visibility and Europeanisation ................................................................................ 14 2.2.2. Frame analysis: establishing the tone of EU coverage ............................................ 16 2.2.3. Effects of EU coverage ........................................................................................... 18 2.2.4. Production of EU news coverage ............................................................................ 20 2.3. Qualitative research: detailed analysis of the British case ............................................. 22 2.4. Conclusion: shortcomings of previous research ............................................................ 26 Chapter 3. Theoretical framework and methodological approach ........................................... 29 3.1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 29 3.2. Theoretical basis and aims of CDA ............................................................................... 30 3.2.1. CDA in comparison with DA .................................................................................. 30 3.2.2. Language, power and the European Union ............................................................. 32 3.2.3. Criticisms of CDA ................................................................................................... 34 3.3. CDA in comparison to other text analytical approaches ............................................... 35 3.3.1. Linguistic approaches to media text analysis .......................................................... 35 3.3.2. Text analytical methods deriving from social sciences or cultural studies ............. 36 3.4. CDA in practice: adaptation of the Dialectic-Relational Approach after Fairclough .... 38 3.5. Analytical tools: contribution of content and frame analysis to CDA ........................... 40 3.5.1. Content analysis ...................................................................................................... 40 3.5.2. Operationalisation of ‘key topics’ ........................................................................... 41 3.5.3. Frame analysis ......................................................................................................... 43 3.5.4. Operationalisation of frames ................................................................................... 45 3.5.5. Micro-analysis of language ..................................................................................... 45 3.5.6. Reliability and validity of coding ............................................................................ 47 3.6. Sampling ........................................................................................................................ 48 v 3.6.1. Sampling of news outlets ........................................................................................ 48 3.6.2. Sampling of relevant articles and broadcast items ................................................. 50 3.6.3. Reducing the sample for frame and micro-analysis ............................................... 53 3.7. Semi-structured, elite interviews with journalists within the dialectic-relational framework ............................................................................................................................ 55 3.7.1. Advantages and limitations of qualitative interviews with professional elites ......