Ripped From the Headlines: A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Nature, Style, and Impact of Jamaica Newspaper Media Reporting on Homosexuality

• In Event: 53.082 - Poster Session 10
  In Poster Session: 53.082-6 - Culture and Context: Opportunity and Change

Abstract

The controversial topic of homosexuality has provided the major Jamaican newspapers; The Gleaner and Jamaica Observer, with good material for public consumption for years. Through a process of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), eighty-five articles, between 2002 and 2016, were will be surveyed to determine the image that has been created to the public, driven by the various styles of reporting, placement within the paper, time of reporting, common language used, and the political or social agenda of the contributors. Previous studies have shown that media reporting matters and have influenced and or swayed public opinion on hot-button topics such as homosexuality. How does this translate in the Jamaican context?
Keywords: Homosexuality, Jamaica, newspaper articles, critical discourse analysis

Author

• Andrew Bruce Campbell, Queen's University - Canada