Yes / Over the last few decades the number of women becoming pregnant later on in life has markedly increased. Medical experts have raised concerns about the increase in the number of women having babies later, owing to evidence that suggests that advancing maternal age is associated with both a decline in fertility and an increase in health risks to both mother and baby. In recognition of these risks, experts have warned that women should aim to have their children between the ages of twenty and thirty-five. As a consequence, women giving birth past the age of thirty-five have typically been positioned as “older mothers.” In this paper we used a social constructionist thematic analysis in order to analyse how “older mothers” are represented in newspaper articles in the British press. We examined how the topics of “choice” and “risk” are handled in discussions of delayed motherhood, and found that the media position women as wholly responsible for choosing the timing of pregnancy and, as a consequence, as accountable for the associated risks. Moreover, we noted that newspapers also constructed a “right” time for women to become pregnant. As such, we discuss the implications for the ability of women to make real choices surrounding the timing of pregnancy.

The thesis interprets the ideal of women beauty before and after 1989 in terms of sociological and culture discourse in Vlasta magazine. The key premise of the thesis is the claim that ideal of women beauty differs before and after 1989. It is possible to expect influence of politic system, social structure and culture forms on discourse of women beauty. Character of this thesis is theoretically-empiric. The sociologic gender theory serves as the frame for chosen topic. Research is based on analysis of discourse of women beauty in Vlasta magazine in 1975 and 2005. The goal of overall analysis is to provide series of detailed analysis which describe general magazine topics and role of the magazine in certain historical period beside discourse of beauty. I have chosen qualitative sociological method called discursive analysis for my thesis. Ambition of the thesis is to analyze one specific social discourse and introduce all key social, historical and culture aspects which can influence the discourse and use Vlasta magazine as its concrete case. Keywords Ideal of women beauty, discourse, media discourse, gender, discursive analysis, Vlasta magazine, transformation, socialism, media, gender stereotypes, gender socialization

Fashion creates reactions. It is a type of art form that constantly needs to be updated. This is the thrilling part about fashion, but it is also the part that can create unintentional reactions. In this essay I will examine two garments that have achieved a great amount of media coverage, both in Sweden and abroad. One of them is a jumpsuit from H&M that was criticized because of the resemblance to the uniform worn by the Peshmerga-soldiers in Kurdistan. The other garment is a children’s sweater launched by Zara. This one was criticized because of its connotation to what the Jewish people were forced to wear during World War Two. By doing an analysis of the two garments and then a critical discourse analysis I intend to find out if there is a difference in the way media treated the two garments. Another question that my essay will try to answer is who reacted to the two cases? Theoretical premises have been Edward Said’s Orientalism, Pierre Bourdieu’s Habitus and Roland Barthes contribution about Semiology. My main focus was to decide whether the human prejudice was the basis for their reaction on the examined clothes. The result shows that there are distinct differences in the media discourse about the two garments. It also proved that Said’s thoughts about a great diversion between east and west is still applicable and our earlier experiences are of great importance while facing new ones.

En avril 2002, le président du Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías est éloigné du pouvoir pendant environ quarante-huit heures et remplacé par un président provisoire, Pedro Carmona Estanga, qui dissout l’ensemble des pouvoirs publics. Malgré sa brièveté, cet épisode a marqué l’histoire du Venezuela et témoigne de façon paroxystique des antagonismes sociaux et politiques que connaît ce pays. La présente recherche a pour but d’analyser la construction discursive de cet événement dans un corpus de trois quotidiens nationaux, en observant comment s’esquisse son sens au moment où il surgit. Dans un premier temps, nous exposons le contexte historico-politique et médiatique dans lequel se sont déroulés ces événements, avant de nous interroger sur la notion d’événement. Il en ressort que l’événement n’est pas une réalité saisissable en tant que telle, mais une réalité signifiée, dans laquelle le langage joue un rôle fondamental. Dans un deuxième temps, nous examinons de quelle manière l’apparition de l’événement se matérialise dans le dispositif des journaux, en accordant une attention particulière aux différents niveaux de titres. La troisième partie de la thèse est consacrée à l’étude la nomination de l’événement, tout d’abord, dans les titres et les Unes, puis à l’intérieur des articles. Les analyses de corpus montrent que le discours des journaux face à cet événement se caractérise par une certaine indétermination, par un usage abondant de l’implicite et par une tendance à l’effacement des journalistes derrière des faits qui semblent s’imposer comme une évidence. / In April 2002, the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez Frías, was removed from power for approximately forty-eight hours and replacing by an acting president, Pedro Carmona Estanga, who disbanded all of the public authorities. In spite of its brevity, this episode marked the history of Venezuela and testifies acutely to the social and political antagonisms experienced by this country. This research aims to analyse the discursive construction of this event within a corpus of three national daily newspapers, by observing how its meaning takes shape during the moment the events took place. Firstly, I present the historical and political context in which these events occurred and media’s situation in Venezuela, before exploring the notion of the event in general terms. As a result, I show that the event is not a reality that can be captured as such, but is in fact a signified reality, in which language plays a fundamental role. Secondly, I examine in what ways the event is materialised in the dailies’ structure, while according particular attention to the various hierarchical levels of the headlines. The third part of the thesis is dedicated to the study of the event naming act, firstly in the headlines and front pages, then within articles. The corpus analyses show that the discourse of the newspapers in front of this event are characterised by a certain vagueness, by abundant usage of implicit modes of address and by the journalists’ tendency to hide behind facts that seem to impose themselves naturally.

The continuous rise of socio-economic inequality over the past decades with its connected political outcomes such as the Brexit vote in the UK, and the election of Donald Trump are currently a matter of intense debate both in academia and in journalism. A significant sign of the heightened interest was the surprise popularity of Thomas Piketty's Capital in the 21st Century. The book reached the top of the bestseller lists and was described as a "media Sensation" and Piketty himself as a "rock star Economist". This paper, drawing from a major international and cross-disciplinary study, investigates the print media treatment in four European countries of economic policy proposals presented in Capital. Applying social semiotic and critical discourse analysis, we specifically focus on articles which are in disagreement with these proposals and identify five categories of counterarguments used against Piketty: authorisation, moralisation, rationalisation, portrayal of victimhood and inevitability. Providing textual and linguistic examples we demonstrate how the use of linguistic resources normalises and conventionalises ideology-laden discourses of economic means (taxation) and effects, reinforcing particular views of social relations and class as common sense and therewith upholding and perpetuating power relations and inequalities. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

The purpose of this study was to examine how the climate summits arranged by the UN in Kyoto 1997, Copenhagen 2009 and Paris 2015 was portrayed by the Swedish daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter. The purpose was also to examine how the problem of climate change was portrayed in the paper in conjunction with the above mentioned climate summits. This was done by using the method critical discourse analysis. A total of 39 articles published in Dagens Nyheter during the time of the different summits was thoroughly analyzed using the method. The results show that Climate change is consequently described as an important issue and a problem that could result in large consequences for the entire planet if the different negotiating parts at the summits could not reach an agreement. The negotiations are described as tough, with countries having big difficulties reaching an agreement. In articles from all three summits the negotiating parts will, or unwillingness, to cooperate and taking responsibility for the situation is described as a key factor in order for the summits to achieve success. However, the media discourse in Dagens Nyheter regarding what taking responsibllity actually means has changed between the different conferences. In the Kyoto-articles being a responsible actor for preventing climate change were described to act according to the line of action already established by the United Nations. However the articles from the meetings held in Copenhagen and Paris described responsibility as something that can only be performed within the political frameworks realm of possibllity.The results also show that solutions to the problem of climate change are described exclusively as something that needs to be done within a liberal economic framework. Economic growth is described as something necessary for countries to develop and humanity’s adjustments to climate change must therefore be done without disrupting the current economic balance too severely.

The portrayal of Muslims in British mainstream media, particularly newspapers, is a subject of significant academic interest. Previous studies find that British newspapers frequently represent Muslims as a distinct and homogenous group, associating them with terrorist groups and framing them as a cultural threat. Orientalist representations have been observed, depicting Muslims as inherently problematic. Nevertheless, Muslims' own self-representation remains understudied and underexamined. This research analyses the discourse of the Muslim News, the oldest, most enduring English-language newspaper catering to Muslims in the United Kingdom. Using Corpus Analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, this thesis explores the similarities and differences in the discourses of the Muslim News and British mainstream newspapers from 1998 to 2009. The findings reveal that, while reproducing some narratives observed in mainstream press, the Muslim News (the MN) is introducing new representations that 'pitch' alternative stories about Muslims in the media. While sustaining certain representations, such as the collectivisation of Muslims, the MN challenges mainstream discourse. It highlights Islamophobic attacks that Muslims are subject to, including their negative portrayal in mainstream press, and suggests that these hegemonic representations are part of a 'Muslim penalty'. Furthermore, the MN counters mainstream news by taking Muslims outside the frames of representation that associate them with terrorism, conflict and violence. Sports coverage consistently emerges in the MN as an important space to re-negotiate and reframe mainstream media discourses on Muslims. Sports stories maintain newsworthiness while enabling the MN to diverge from the negative coverage of Muslims in mainstream press and celebrate Muslim champions. Comparing such representations in a newspaper by and for Muslims to those produced by mainstream press further exposes contemporary Orientalist discourses and should be a subject of further study.

Pretende-se analisar o papel da mídia na representação do ensino superior no Brasil, investigando o discurso editorial do jornal Folha de S. Paulo sobre as noções de democratização e excelência. O corpus será formado por editoriais publicados pelo veículo entre 2003 e 2010, durante os dois mandatos do ex-presidente Lula. O período escolhido coincide com a adoção de programas de expansão de vagas na educação superior e com a perspectiva na época de uma reforma universitária. O estudo reflete como a instância editorial midiática agenda e enquadra determinadas temáticas, reiterando teses, ressemantizando sentidos, na tentativa de influenciar o debate público sobre a educação. A hipótese que se levanta é que a Folha aponta para um modelo de educação superior, a partir de expedientes enunciativos comprobatórios e predicativos, que se aproximam de determinados discursos de agentes políticos e organizações internacionais. A interpretação será realizada a partir de alguns conceitos norteadores da análise do discurso, assim como nos estudos da linha de pesquisa comunicação e educação. / It is intended to analyze the role of media in the representation of higher education in Brazil, investigating the editorial speech of the newspaper Folha de S. Paulo on the notions of democratization and excellence. The corpus will consist of editorials published by the vehicle between 2003 and 2010, during the two terms of former President Lula. The chosen period coincides with the adoption of expansion programs of enrollment in higher education and the prospect at the time of a university reform. The study reflects how the media editorial instance schedule and frame certain themes, reiterating theses, resematizating senses in an attempt to influence the public debate about the education. The hypothesis is that the Folha points to a model of higher education, from evidential and predicative expedients enunciative, that approximate of determined speeches of political agents and international organizations. The interpretation will be performed from some guiding concepts of discourse analysis, as in the studies of the communication and education research lines.

The continued rise of socio-economic inequality over the past decades with its connected political outcomes such as the Brexit vote in the UK, and the election of Donald Trump are currently a matter of intense debate both in academia and in journalism. One significant sign of the heightened interest was the surprise popularity of Thomas Piketty's Capital in the twenty-first Century. The book reached the top of the bestseller lists and was described as a "media Sensation", with Piketty himself as a "rock star Economist". This paper, drawing from a major international and cross-disciplinary study, investigates the print media treatment in four European countries of economic policy proposals presented in Capital. Applying social semiotic and critical discourse analysis, we specifically focus on articles which are in disagreement with these proposals and identify five categories of counterarguments used against Piketty: authorisation, moralisation, rationalisation, portrayal of victimhood and inevitability. Providing textual and linguistic examples we demonstrate how the use of linguistic resources normalises and conventionalises ideology-laden discourses of economic means (taxation) and effects, reinforcing particular views of social relations and class as common sense and therewith upholding and perpetuating power relations and inequalities.

In Gerichtsshows wie „Richter Alexander Hold“, „Richterin Barbara Salesch“ und „Das Strafgericht“ agieren Laiendarsteller semi-spontan als Teilnehmer einer fiktiven Gerichtsverhandlung. Hier wird also eine kommunikative Gattung aus der öffentlichen Kommunikation – die Gerichtsverhandlung – als Folie für eine Unterhaltungssendung genutzt. In dieser Arbeit wird die Gerichtsshow mithilfe des Konzeptes der kommunikativen Gattung beschrieben. Die Darstellung findet auf den verschiedenen Ebenen der kommunikativen Gattung "Binnenebene", "situative Realisierungsebene" und "Außenstruktur" statt. Außerdem wird dem Modell der kommunikativen Gattung als weitere Ebene die "mediale Außenstruktur" hinzugefügt, um die Beschreibbarkeit des Mediengesprächs "Gerichtsshow" zu verbessern. Die Analyse der Gerichtsshow zeigt, dass hier durch die Beteiligten eine Kontextualisierung als Gerichtsverhandlung aufgebaut wird. Die Teilnehmer müssen jedoch zugleich Aufgaben bewältigen, die denen einer Unterhaltungssendung entsprechen. Eine zentrale Aufgabe der Beteiligten ist daher das ständige Aushandeln zwischen der Produktion der Kontextualisierung als Gerichtsverhandlung einerseits und der Erfüllung der Anforderungen einer Unterhaltungssendung andererseits. In diesem Aushandlungsprozess entsteht eine gerichtsshowspezifische Darstellung von Kommunikation vor Gericht, die in dieser Arbeit mithilfe von rechtssoziologischen Konzepten wie dem der "Verfahrensgerechtigkeit" in ihrer Bedeutung im Diskurs um Recht und Gerechtigkeit eingeordnet wird. Die Analyse findet anhand von transkribierten Ausschnitten aus den Sendungen „Richter Alexander Hold“, „Richterin Barbara Salesch“ und „Das Strafgericht“ statt. / In German court room shows like “Richter Alexander Hold”, “Richterin Barbara Salesch“ and “Das Strafgericht“, amateur actors perform semi-spontaneous as participants of a fictional trial. The present thesis analyzes court room shows as communicative genres, using the concept of “Kommunikative Gattungen” as introduced by Beger/Luckmann (1988) and Günthner (1995). The analysis shows that court room shows' participants use court-specific contextualization cues to contextualize their interaction as a trial. At the same time, they have to fulfil tasks which are typical of shows and especially talk shows. Participants thus have to negotiate between producing a court-contextualization on the one hand and managing talk show tasks on the other hand. This negotiation produces a representation of court room communication that is typical of court room shows.