This thesis investigates how the news media constructs reality through newspaper representation of the role of a hero in society and a hero's loyalty to the nation. The research is based on a case study of New Zealand newspapers and how they framed Russell Coutts' role in the America's Cup 2003. Russell Coutts was the leading figure of "Team New Zealand"in 1995 and in 2000 when his team won and defended the America's Cup. He was praised by New Zealand newspapers as a hero during the time he led "Team New Zealand"from one victory to another. But, after the victory in 2000, Russell Coutts signed a contract with the rival team "Alinghi"and the framing of his heroic role in the New Zealand press changed. He became a defector from his team and he was framed as a traitor to his own country. Using discourse studies and semiotics as the main theoretical and methodological background, this thesis analyzes how the process of news framing is influenced by the rules of journalistic practice and by the wider social environment. The thesis explores how news values blend with mythological narrative in journalists' daily routine of producing news stories that both construct reality and reaffirm society's dominant values. The study reveals that the re-presentation of the nation in the news media is a simplified construction of an ideal and transcendental identity. Consequently, the role of the hero is framed as a representation of that ideal, and the hero is framed as a loyal leader - someone who should lead, not challenge, society's rules. The thesis discusses the news media's power to define identity by questioning a prominent individual's loyalty to the nation. The research illustrates that even a hero whose position is firmly established within the particular society can be radically re-defined if that hero is not following the expectations of the press and the rules of the society
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/969 |
| Date | January 2007 |
| Creators | Gajevic, Slavko |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. Political Science and Communication |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Slavko Gajevic, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
| Relation | NZCU |
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