Thesis (MPhil (General Linguistics))--University of Stellenbosch, 2009. / This study examined how different words and phrases used within the media may portray a certain image of an individual, ultimately impacting the perception that the reader forms of such individual. Specifically, the manner in which Fred van der Vyver was portrayed by both an Afrikaans language newspaper and an English language newspaper in the Fred van der Vyver-Inge Lotz murder case was examined. This was a highly publicized case from March 2005, when Inge Lotz was found murdered, to November 2007, when Fred van der Vyver, who was suspected of killing Inge Lotz, was acquitted. The aim of the study was to compare two South African journalistic cultures, namely the ones represented by Cape Times and Die Burger, respectively, in their construction of Fred van der Vyver as newsmaker. The rationale for the study was that newspaper coverage of a murder as well as of the investigation and trial which follow creates a certain perception among its readers, and that this perception is based on the information that readers accumulate by reading various published articles. The hypothesis was that both newspapers treated Fred van der Vyver as a newsmaker, and as a murdered in particular, by making use of various linguistic devices. The data analyzed were a selection of articles published between March 2005 and November 2007 in the online versions of Cape Times and Die Burger. A focal point of the study was to show how different aspects of newspaper reporting – specifically headlines and the text itself – construct a particular view or image of the case in general and of Fred van der Vyver in particular. It was found that neither the Cape Times nor Die Burger wrote that Fred van der Vyver was the murderer but both suggested it throughout by making use of linguistic devices. Loaded words, for example, were used to describe certain aspects of the case, and these aspects were then associated with Fred van der Vyver. Fred van der Vyver`s identity had been presented as that of a murderer within the press by means of linguistic tools and language use. The hypotheses was therefore borne out by the data, as both newspapers had indeed portrayed the identity of Fred van der Vyver as that of a murderer. What we read in the papers does have an influence on what we perceive to be true, objective or accurate and on how we ultimately form an opinion. In this case, the public automatically accepted Fred van der Vyver’s identity as portrayed in the press, namely as that of a murderer, and assumed that he was guilty once he was arrested.

La littérature scientifique estime généralement que les messages médiatiques influencent les perceptions des récepteurs. Ils contribuent ainsi à la formation d’identités et à la cohésion sociale. La recherche au Canada a souvent constaté une divergence de couverture entre les médias québécois et canadiens-anglais. Ce clivage médiatique a été soupçonné d’avoir amplifié les différences entre les deux communautés. Toutefois, la recherche sur les divergences entre la presse francophone et anglophone au Québec reste peu développée. Ce travail se demande si ce clivage médiatique existe également dans le paysage médiatique québécois. À cette fin, nous identifions les cadres (frames) employés par des journaux de langue anglaise et française au Québec, c’est-à-dire les schémas interprétatifs fournis par les médias pour faire sens de l’actualité. Pour vérifier l’hypothèse, selon laquelle le cadrage diverge entre la presse anglophone et francophone du Québec, nous avons analysé la couverture du projet de loi 14 dans dix journaux pendant 50 semaines. Avec une approche mixte, combinant une analyse automatisée et une analyse qualitative selon la matrice (frame matrix) de Van Gorp (2005), nous avons identifié les cadres linguistique, social, politique, pragmatique et souverainiste. Nos résultats montrent que quatre cadres sont mobilisés par la presse anglophone et francophone et que les médias reprennent partiellement les discours de l’autre communauté. Cependant, les deux groupes de médias favorisent différents cadres et les articulent différemment. Le rapprochement des médias anglophones et francophones au Québec est donc limité, entre autres en raison d’expériences historiques divergentes et de l’activisme de journaux communautaires. / It is generally believed that media messages influence the perceptions of audiences. Thus, they contribute to identity formation and to social cohesion. However, research in Canada has often found discrepancies in coverage by Quebec and English-Canadian media. This media divide has been suspected of amplifying the differences between the two communities. Yet, research on the differences between the Francophone and the Anglophone press in Quebec is limited. This thesis poses the question whether a linguistic divide also exists in the Quebec media landscape. For this purpose, we identified the frames mobilized by French- and English-language newspapers. We understand frames as interpretative schemata proposed by the media to make sense of news events. To verify our hypothesis that frames differ in the English and French language media of Quebec, we analyzed the coverage of Bill 14 by ten newspapers during 50 weeks. Using a mixed method, which combined a computer-assisted and a qualitative analysis using Van Gorp’s (2005) frame matrix, we identified linguistic, social, political, pragmatic and sovereignist frames. Our results show that four of these frames were used by both French- and English-language newspapers and that the media partially took up discourses from the other language community. However, the two groups prefer different frames and articulate them differently. The rapprochement of Anglophone and Francophone media in Quebec is thus limited, among other things, by diverging historic experiences and activism by community newspapers.