'Framing’ the Eastern European Dissent in American Newspapers of the 1970s and 1980s

• In Event: Eastern and Southern European Dissent and its International Networks

Abstract

Using the framing theory as the methodological tool, the paper analysis the media coverage of the Eastern European dissent in the 1970s and 1980s by major American newspapers, such as the New York Times and the Christian Science Monitor, with particular attention to the work of Paul Hofmann, Eric Bourne and Charles Sawyer. Shortly before his death in 1977, the philosopher and spokesman of Charter 77 Jan Patočka said to a German journalist: “In many cases there is no other defence against the pressure of those in power than the information made available abroad. Moral support constitutes a real support.” The paper thus suggests exploring the “narrative strategies” of the American media used in order to keep the attention of the American public focused on the Eastern European dissent.

Author

• Petra James, U Libre de Bruxelles (Belgium)