Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2010 Framing Jewell: a discourse analysis of newspaper coverage in the aftermath of the Atlanta Olympics bombing and discussion of legal and ethical standards for such practices Anne L. Songy Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Songy, Anne L., "Framing Jewell: a discourse analysis of newspaper coverage in the aftermath of the Atlanta Olympics bombing and discussion of legal and ethical standards for such practices" (2010). LSU Master's Theses. 588. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/588 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FRAMING JEWELL: A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NEWSPAPER COVERAGE IN THE AFTERMATH OF THE ATLANTA OLYMPICS BOMBING AND DISCUSSION OF LEGAL AND ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR SUCH PRACTICES A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Mass Communication In The Manship School of Mass Communication by: Anne L. Songy B.A., Louisiana State University, 1991 August 2010 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am forever indebted to a number of people for their roles in the completion of this project. My sincere thanks go to my thesis chairman, Dr. Craig Freeman, whose patience and skill were the driving force behind my success. Despite my frequent diatribes about the merits of prior restraint (and similar Communist practices), he allowed me the freedom to examine my arguments and find the truth on my own. I am equally grateful to Dr. Lou Day, whose remarkable knowledge in the field of media ethics provided me a sure foundation on which to expand my study. Dr. Rick Popp’s enthusiasm for qualitative research changed the way I view mass media studies and impacted this project profoundly. I am honored to have been mentored by all three of these fine professors. I would also like to thank two friends and colleagues: Teresa Day, who planted the seed five years ago, and Dena Arnone, who cheered me on every step of the way. Lastly, I hold the highest regard and appreciation for three individuals whose sacrifice and support cushioned this long and rocky road. I am forever thankful to my mother, Anne G. Shirley, who shared with me her deep respect and affection for the power of the English language. To my son, Daniel, who has sacrificed a great deal to allow me this opportunity, I promise I will not pursue another degree until he has left for college. Finally, to my husband Moe Songy, I am exceedingly grateful for his unyielding devotion to me and my endeavors. His encouragement and sacrifice were instrumental in my success, and his positive attitude was strong enough for both of us. He is indeed a rare and precious find. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................ ii ABSTRACT...............................................................................................................................v CHAPTERS INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 LITERATURE REVIEW ..............................................................................................3 METHODOLOGY .....................................................................................................14 FINDINGS..................................................................................................................26 Frame Clusters ...................................................................................................26 The Reluctant Hero..................................................................................26 Jewell is Guilty ........................................................................................27 United We Stand......................................................................................29 Media Self-Coverage ...............................................................................32 Discursive Tactics..............................................................................................34 SOCIETAL DISCUSSION..........................................................................................36 Mythology and Framing ....................................................................................36 Symbolism and Framing....................................................................................42 Storytelling and Framing ...................................................................................45 Society and Framing ..........................................................................................47 LEGAL DISCUSSION................................................................................................49 A Brief History of Libel.....................................................................................49 Regarding Jewell................................................................................................55 Viability of False Light......................................................................................59 Broader Implications..........................................................................................61 ETHICS DISCUSSION...............................................................................................64 Theoretical Framework......................................................................................65 Self-Restraint .....................................................................................................69 Explanations.......................................................................................................72 The Journalist...........................................................................................72 The News Organization ...........................................................................74 Industry Standards ...................................................................................78 Collective Mindset of the Profession.......................................................80 Pack Mentality ...............................................................................80 First Amendment Righteousness ...................................................81 Pretending for Democracy .............................................................82 iii CONCLUSIONS..........................................................................................................85 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................93 VITA......................................................................................................................................110 iv ABSTRACT This study examines the newspaper coverage of Richard Jewell during the weeks after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing. Jewell, a security guard working in the Olympic Park on July 27, 1996, was initially hailed as a hero due to his discovery of a bomb minutes before the explosion. After Jewell’s name was leaked to the press as an FBI person of interest in the case, many reporters began to frame Jewell in a negative light and, in some instances, even implied his guilt. Through a discourse analysis of news stories published between the date of the bombing and the date Jewell was officially removed as a suspect (three months), four distinct framing clusters are identified in this study: The Reluctant Hero, He is Guilty, United We Stand, and Media Self-Coverage. Discursive tactics used to support these themes are identified as word choice, source choice and use of unnecessary information. The roles of myths, symbols, storytelling, and society in frame-making provide the foundation for an in-depth discussion about the broader meanings and implications of the news frames found in the coverage of the bombing. This study finds that frames are prevalent in media coverage and play an essential role in society, but they are sometimes misused by the press in such a way that harms individuals. A subsequent legal discussion underscores the courts’ dogged protection of First Amendment rights in these situations and the dilemmas that develop when a private individual is ruled to be a public figure in the defamation lawsuit. An additional examination of news media ethics offers possible reasons journalists resort to the types of discursive tactics found in the Jewell coverage; specifically, this study finds explanations that pertain to the journalist, the newsroom, industry guidelines, and the collective mindset of the profession. v INTRODUCTION Framing is an often-used tactic the news media employ to present their own adaptations of stories. Gamson & Modigliani (1987) define a frame as “a central organizing idea or story line that provides meaning to an unfolding strip of events, weaving a connection among them” (p. 143). The media frame possesses a great deal of power and can help to assign blame for a social problem, to take another issue out of public focus, or to intimate a person’s