Journalistic Questioning and Sociopolitical Change: The Case of Marriage Equality in the U.S.

• In Event: 2131 - Race, Sexuality, and Gender in Politics

Abstract

This paper explores the interface between interactional conduct and sociopolitical change, and makes the case for social action design as an underutilized index of change. This approach is exemplified through the case of same-sex marriage, whose social standing shifted from marginality to mainstream acceptance within a relatively short period. Using journalistic interview data and in particular question-response sequences addressed to U.S. politicians regarding their position on same-sex marriage (e.g., Do you support legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide?), the paper charts measurable shifts in the manner in which positioning questions were broached and pursued by journalists across more than two decades, and considers how such behavioral shifts both reflect and contribute to the mainstreaming of marriage equality in the U.S. Political positioning questions and their sequelae thus provide a novel window into perceptions of the evolving sociopolitical landscape on controversial issues of public importance.

Author

• Steven E. Clayman, University of California-Los Angeles