Discourse Analysis
This study will present the approach of the Daily Express in constructing and representing immigrants in United Kingdom, precisely in England. The article analyzed, is titled “Migrants Send Our Crime Rate Soaring” and was published on Daily Express on Monday, January 28th, 2008. Daily Express is a conservative, middle-market British tabloid newspaper where one of the favourite topics is anti-immigration. The study applied discourse analysis through lexical choices, indexical meaning, the representation of all sources in the article and using relevant literature supporting the argument presented. The study offers approaches on constructing ‘others’ as well as signals the readers of Daily Express to apply critical thinking and consider reservations in the articles published regarding this matter.
This paper searches the approach in which migrants are constructed in the Daily Express as printed press in UK. The conventional British tabloid in this article does not present the migrants at all it only relies on elite sources or primary definer. Hall explains the “Primary Definers” as authority figures in powerful and high status positions. They are considered to have greater expertise and to have "access to more accurate or more specialized information on particular topics than the majority of the population."[1] By using primary definers as sources this immediately limits the opportunity for readers to further research on this respective topic since the sources are authorities and ‘reliable’.
Arguments in the article are drawn on presuppositions that the audience are required to fill in themselves in order for the argument to seem plausible.[2] The cover page (see picture) it creates fear amongst readers about crime rate going higher, whereas article provides ‘facts’ on how UK cannot deal with the influx of immigrants. The article with 848 words mentioned the word crime only five times.
This brings the ‘difference’ as compelling theme. Representation is a complex business and especially when dealing with ‘difference’, it engages feelings, attitudes and emotions and it mobilizes fears and anxieties in the viewer.[3]
A sentence below extracted from the article:
“The survey of 100 local councils found that in some areas three-quarters of children are now born to foreign-born mothers while three in four pupils in some education authorities do not speak English as a first language.” clearly reflects the representation of others, different from us, applying the discourse of fear and panic from the unknown.
In the article it is not reported even one case of violent crime in a concrete manner. The substance of the article does not correspond to the title which took the space of the whole cover page. The article is more on the large influx of the migrants and not on crime or violent cases. In the main headline uses the lexical item ‘crime’. It has been used purposely to impose certain ideological belief and value to underpin this particular story.[4]
With an index, the relation between the signifier and the signified is casual and linear: the sign is directly the effect of the object.[5] As for instance smoke is an index of fire as in the picture mask is directly linked with crime in one of the possible interpretations.
However, images are notoriously open to more than one interpretation.[6] The picture shown in the article might be observed in many different ways such as: an undercover police officer; an ill ordinary citizen who is leaving his belongings in his car; a citizen who is cold and so on. Resonant image in the Daily Express is used to fix the meaning of immigrants which might have been widely reported or commented about.[7]
Since journalism exists to enable citizens to better understanding their lives and their position(s) in the world. However, this is not always implemented in reality. In few cases the power utilizes media to promote their agenda. The circulation and promotion of the views of the powerful is better described as propaganda, and journalism is often shaped by propagandists’ agenda.[8]
In the article of Daily Express immigrants as a source are absent. The community associations composed by immigrants are absent, too. UK citizens as the ‘threatened’ mass are not included in the article either any victim of crime is reported in this article. The article should have had the title reflecting the failures of the government in protecting borders rather than having migrants as incentives to a higher crime.
Somehow article left behind the efforts of the government to improve the current situation. The article did not mentioned the strategies on securing borders and the strategy in ensuring and enforcing compliance with UK’s immigration laws[9], in order to provide the full picture regarding this matter to Daily Express’ readers.
The article in this conservative newspaper raises other questions such as are UK’s citizens prepared in managing EU enlargement. The UK has always been a strong supporter of enlargement and has played a leading role in moving the process forward which in return delivers peace, prosperity and stability across the continent, entrenching the EU values to an ever-widening Union. EU enlargement should help increase the prosperity of new member states in Eastern Europe, opening new opportunities for UK businesses.[10]
The article raises issues such as difference or representation of others. Press in democratic country it is essential to promote and demonstrate an important role on cultural diversity, co-habitation, and common values instead of promoting division, fear, hatred and inflexibility towards foreigners. Power in representation has to be understood, not only in terms of economic exploitation and physical coercion, but also in broader cultural or symbolic terms, including the power to represent someone or something in a certain way within a certain regime of representation.[11]
The article does provide figures of how many immigrants enter UK, however does not present the number of immigrants that leave UK, or are deported by the competent institutions. This sentence of the article “The scale of the increase by 2031 is the equivalent of the population of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all moving to England” does not have logical strength, since for a reader is not explained how many leave, since not all immigrants remain in UK. The article manipulates with the discourse of fear and dangerousness around the issue of by whom England will be populated with.
In any society not totalitarian, then, certain cultural forms predominate over others; the form of this cultural leadership is what Gramsci has identified as hegemony.[12] Hegemony can be described as the process in which a ruling class persuades all other classes to accept its rule and their subordination. A hegemonic ruling class is one that gains support for itself from other classes.[13]
___________________________________________________________________ [1] Nunn, Kenneth B. The Trial as Text: Allegory, Myth and Symbol in the Adversarial Criminal Process - a Critique of the Role of the Public Defender and a Proposal for Reform. American Criminal Law Review.32. (1995): Page Number: 743-822.
[2] Richardson, John E. Analysing Newspapers: An Approach from Critical Discourse Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan. January 9, 2007.
[3] Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series).Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition. April 1, 1997. Page 226
[4] Deacon, David. Pickering, Michael. Golding, Peter. and Murdock, Graham. Researching Communications, Second Edition: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis. Chapter 8: Unpacking News. Page 178. 2007.
[5] Deacon, David. Pickering, Michael. Golding, Peter. and Murdock, Graham. Chapter 9: Viewing the Image. Page 187. 2007.
[6] Id., Page 197.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Id., Page 6.
[9]The Border and Immigration Agency. 5 February 2008..
[10] Britain in the EU. 5 February 2008. .
[11] Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series).Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition. April 1, 1997. Page 259
[12] Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series).Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition. April 1, 1997. Page 260
[13] Richardson, John E. Analysing Newspapers: An Approach from Critical Discourse Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan. January 9, 2007. Page 35
This paper searches the approach in which migrants are constructed in the Daily Express as printed press in UK. The conventional British tabloid in this article does not present the migrants at all it only relies on elite sources or primary definer. Hall explains the “Primary Definers” as authority figures in powerful and high status positions. They are considered to have greater expertise and to have "access to more accurate or more specialized information on particular topics than the majority of the population."[1] By using primary definers as sources this immediately limits the opportunity for readers to further research on this respective topic since the sources are authorities and ‘reliable’.
Arguments in the article are drawn on presuppositions that the audience are required to fill in themselves in order for the argument to seem plausible.[2] The cover page (see picture) it creates fear amongst readers about crime rate going higher, whereas article provides ‘facts’ on how UK cannot deal with the influx of immigrants. The article with 848 words mentioned the word crime only five times.
This brings the ‘difference’ as compelling theme. Representation is a complex business and especially when dealing with ‘difference’, it engages feelings, attitudes and emotions and it mobilizes fears and anxieties in the viewer.[3]
A sentence below extracted from the article:
“The survey of 100 local councils found that in some areas three-quarters of children are now born to foreign-born mothers while three in four pupils in some education authorities do not speak English as a first language.” clearly reflects the representation of others, different from us, applying the discourse of fear and panic from the unknown.
In the article it is not reported even one case of violent crime in a concrete manner. The substance of the article does not correspond to the title which took the space of the whole cover page. The article is more on the large influx of the migrants and not on crime or violent cases. In the main headline uses the lexical item ‘crime’. It has been used purposely to impose certain ideological belief and value to underpin this particular story.[4]
With an index, the relation between the signifier and the signified is casual and linear: the sign is directly the effect of the object.[5] As for instance smoke is an index of fire as in the picture mask is directly linked with crime in one of the possible interpretations.
However, images are notoriously open to more than one interpretation.[6] The picture shown in the article might be observed in many different ways such as: an undercover police officer; an ill ordinary citizen who is leaving his belongings in his car; a citizen who is cold and so on. Resonant image in the Daily Express is used to fix the meaning of immigrants which might have been widely reported or commented about.[7]Since journalism exists to enable citizens to better understanding their lives and their position(s) in the world. However, this is not always implemented in reality. In few cases the power utilizes media to promote their agenda. The circulation and promotion of the views of the powerful is better described as propaganda, and journalism is often shaped by propagandists’ agenda.[8]
In the article of Daily Express immigrants as a source are absent. The community associations composed by immigrants are absent, too. UK citizens as the ‘threatened’ mass are not included in the article either any victim of crime is reported in this article. The article should have had the title reflecting the failures of the government in protecting borders rather than having migrants as incentives to a higher crime.
Somehow article left behind the efforts of the government to improve the current situation. The article did not mentioned the strategies on securing borders and the strategy in ensuring and enforcing compliance with UK’s immigration laws[9], in order to provide the full picture regarding this matter to Daily Express’ readers.
The article in this conservative newspaper raises other questions such as are UK’s citizens prepared in managing EU enlargement. The UK has always been a strong supporter of enlargement and has played a leading role in moving the process forward which in return delivers peace, prosperity and stability across the continent, entrenching the EU values to an ever-widening Union. EU enlargement should help increase the prosperity of new member states in Eastern Europe, opening new opportunities for UK businesses.[10]
The article raises issues such as difference or representation of others. Press in democratic country it is essential to promote and demonstrate an important role on cultural diversity, co-habitation, and common values instead of promoting division, fear, hatred and inflexibility towards foreigners. Power in representation has to be understood, not only in terms of economic exploitation and physical coercion, but also in broader cultural or symbolic terms, including the power to represent someone or something in a certain way within a certain regime of representation.[11]
The article does provide figures of how many immigrants enter UK, however does not present the number of immigrants that leave UK, or are deported by the competent institutions. This sentence of the article “The scale of the increase by 2031 is the equivalent of the population of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all moving to England” does not have logical strength, since for a reader is not explained how many leave, since not all immigrants remain in UK. The article manipulates with the discourse of fear and dangerousness around the issue of by whom England will be populated with.
In any society not totalitarian, then, certain cultural forms predominate over others; the form of this cultural leadership is what Gramsci has identified as hegemony.[12] Hegemony can be described as the process in which a ruling class persuades all other classes to accept its rule and their subordination. A hegemonic ruling class is one that gains support for itself from other classes.[13]
___________________________________________________________________ [1] Nunn, Kenneth B. The Trial as Text: Allegory, Myth and Symbol in the Adversarial Criminal Process - a Critique of the Role of the Public Defender and a Proposal for Reform. American Criminal Law Review.32. (1995): Page Number: 743-822.
[2] Richardson, John E. Analysing Newspapers: An Approach from Critical Discourse Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan. January 9, 2007.
[3] Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series).Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition. April 1, 1997. Page 226
[4] Deacon, David. Pickering, Michael. Golding, Peter. and Murdock, Graham. Researching Communications, Second Edition: A Practical Guide to Methods in Media and Cultural Analysis. Chapter 8: Unpacking News. Page 178. 2007.
[5] Deacon, David. Pickering, Michael. Golding, Peter. and Murdock, Graham. Chapter 9: Viewing the Image. Page 187. 2007.
[6] Id., Page 197.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Id., Page 6.
[9]The Border and Immigration Agency. 5 February 2008.
[12] Hall, Stuart. Representation: Cultural Representations and Signifying Practices (Culture, Media and Identities Series).Sage Publications & Open University; 1 edition. April 1, 1997. Page 260
[13] Richardson, John E. Analysing Newspapers: An Approach from Critical Discourse Analysis. Palgrave Macmillan. January 9, 2007. Page 35
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