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Broadcast news and abortion : the effects of conservative narratives on the reproductive health debate / Effects of conservative narratives on the reproductive health debate

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Political Science, 2013. / Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. / Includes bibliographical references (pages 72-77). / How have changes in the elite discussion of reproductive health narratives affected the debate on abortion and influenced state legislation and popular opinion? Using analysis of broadcast transcripts from CNN and FOX News, I examine the arguments articulated by politicians, activists, and members of the media on issues concerning reproductive health. I argue that, beginning in 1996, conservatives used the venue provided by broadcast media to seize on changes to the political climate and frame debate to their advantage. Continually, conservatives forced liberals into reactionary positions through discussion of "partial-birth abortion," expansion of narratives, and-most recently-misinformation. By dictating the terms of the discussion, conservatives lessened the impact of liberal narratives and saw gains in state legislation and public opinion as a result. / by Mark Jenssen. / S.M.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:MIT/oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/84848
Date January 2013
CreatorsJenssen, Mark (Mark Peter)
ContributorsMelissa Nobles., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science., Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Political Science.
PublisherMassachusetts Institute of Technology
Source SetsM.I.T. Theses and Dissertation
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format81 pages, application/pdf
RightsM.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission., http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

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