Posted on 12/04/2006 8:24:04 AM PST by MNJohnnie
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747605/posts
Communication Professor Examines Media Bias in President's Speeches Virginia Tech News ^ | 11/30/06 | Jean Elliott
Posted on 12/02/2006 5:28:58 PM CST by LS
BLACKSBURG, VA., November 30, 2006 -- Jim A. Kuypers, assistant professor of communication in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech, reveals a disturbing world of media bias in his new book Bush's War: Media Bias and Justifications for War in a Terrorist Age (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 2006).
Convincingly and without resorting to partisan politics, Kuypers strongly illustrates in eight chapters “how the press failed America in its coverage on the War on Terror.” In each comparison, Kuypers “detected massive bias on the part of the press.” In fact, Kuypers calls the mainstream news media an “anti-democratic institution” in the conclusion.
“What has essentially happened since 9/11 has been that Bush has repeated the same themes, and framed those themes the same whenever discussing the War on Terror,” said Kuypers, who specializes in political communication and rhetoric. “Immediately following 9/11, the mainstream news media (represented by CBS, ABC, NBC, USA Today, New York Times, and Washington Post) did echo Bush, but within eight weeks it began to intentionally ignore certain information the president was sharing, and instead reframed the president's themes or intentionally introduced new material to shift the focus.”
This goes beyond reporting alternate points of view. “In short,” Kupyers explained, “if someone were relying only on the mainstream media for information, they would have no idea what the president actually said. It was as if the press were reporting on a different speech.”
The book is essentially a “comparative framing analysis.” Overall, Kuypers examined themes about 9-11 and the War on Terror that the President used, and compared them to the themes that the press used when reporting on what the president said.
“Framing is a process whereby communicators, consciously or unconsciously, act to construct a point of view that encourages the facts of a given situation to be interpreted by others in a particular manner,” notes Kuypers.
At the heart of each chapter are these questions: What did President Bush talk about, and how did he want us to think about it? What did the mainstream news media talk about following president Bush’s speeches, and how did they want us to think about it?
According to Arkansas State University’s Dennis W. White, a retired lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, "This is a time of maximum danger for our country—a time of crisis. The American people historically turn to the President during these times for explanation, for comfort, and for exhortation to purpose. Yet, the President does not speak directly to the people. His speech is mediated; he speaks through the media, members of the media comment on presidential speech, and others comment on the comment. Jim Kuypers is the best in the business at explaining presidential crisis communication and its relationship to the media.”
"This is a skilled and thoughtful work of scholarship, well worth a careful reading,” said Stephen D. Cooper of Marshall University. “Kuypers's book is provocative in the best sense of the word: It can stimulate fresh thinking about presidential rhetoric and press reporting of it—which Kuypers shows can be two very different things.”
Kuypers, of Christiansburg, Va., received his Ph.D from Louisiana State University and both his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Florida State. He joined Virginia Tech's Department of Communication last year after having taught political communication for tens years at Dartmouth College
RUSH: I hope before you die, you learn to thank God for
Abraham Lincoln.
No apologies! This is an OUTSTANDING engagement with the
enemy. Rush will not back down. But this guy will not be
persuaded. He has neither eyes to see nor ears to hear truth.
Doubt he'll get much chance to play at WVU. Aside from the fact he's behind Pat White, WVU will lose some 20 odd seniors this year. Won't be anywheres near as strong a team next year.
'States Rights' in that context was just an euphemism for pro racism/slavery
Well, we can thank the self righteous talk show hosts, the republican pundits, and the far right wing for giving us the arrogant unstoppable Breyer for the foreseeable future. Guess they're happy now.
Holy smokes!
stand watie ?
I read a poster on FR this morning rank Lincoln with Carter and Clinton. I am astonished. I've never in my life heard of Lincoln as nothing but a great president.
sorry cap lock was on some how
There will be nothing "civil" about this war!
He would have to give fair warning though--I would have to turn the volume down so as to keep from blowing them off the shelf...
God Bless this caller and his family.
This new caller is great. Army; going to Middle East. Proud of our military! :)
Stone Wall must be absent today--he'd be cringing if he could hear that last moonbat.
I think there's a quarterback on Cincinnati too. They're going to a bowl. Inauguration Bowl?
I love football and appreciate good players. Don't really matter which team, I like to see a good game.
Caller is a TRUE American...
Not sure about Cincy, but WVU is going to the Gator Bowl.
"If you support someone you have to support what they do."
GOOD COMEBACK!
A few months ago, I was reading DU and even a lot of them were saying that Lincoln was a great president.
I had to wonder if someone moved a FR thread to their forum as a joke.
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