Date of Award

4-11-2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

School of Communication

First Advisor

Joseph P. Zompetti

Abstract

This thesis examines how the relationship between crime and poverty is rhetorically constructed within the news media. To this end, I investigate the content of twelve news articles, published online, that offered coverage of crime in the city of Detroit, Michigan. I employ three methods in my criticism of these texts: ideographic analysis, critical framing analysis, and an approach that considers ideographs and framings elements to be rhetorical constructions that function together. In each phase of my analysis, I developed ideological themes from concepts emerging from the texts. I then approached my discussion of these findings from a perspective of Neo-Marxism, primarily using Gramsci's (1971) critique of cultural hegemony to inform my conclusions. I ultimately argue that, through their dissemination of these representations, the news media function as a mechanism to perpetuate an ideology of classism.

Comments

Imported from ProQuest Nickell_ilstu_0092N_10232.pdf

DOI

http://doi.org/10.30707/ETD2014.Nickell.J

Page Count

142

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