CRADLE: Research Seminar
CRADLE hold regular research seminars about topics relating to research in language, language education and related topics. For example, last year we hosted an interdisciplinary Research Seminar on 'Press under pressure'. See below for the full programme and abstracts
Press under pressure
Interdisciplinary Research Seminar (jointly with the Department of Media) on December 14th 1.45-5.30 in Ng03. Guest Speaker: John Richardson, University of Loughborough, author of 'Analysing Newspapers' (2007) Palgrave Macmillan
An Interdisciplnary research Seminar open to all
The press has always operated under considerable pressure, from the political arena, economic and market forces, new technologies and wider society. This Research Seminar examines how the press reacts now and has reacted historically to these and other pressures, and considers different research methods which can give insight into the interplay between these forces and the press.
The seminar is presented jointly by the CRADLE research centre in the Department of English and Language Studies, and the Department of Media.
December 14th 2.00-5.30 in Ng03.
Programme
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1.45 Setting the scene Stephen Bax, English & Language Studies
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2.00 Introduction: Analysing Newspapers John Richardson, Loughborough University
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2.40 Migration and the British media John Kullman, English & Language Studies
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Migration and the British media John Kullman, English & Language Studies
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3.00 The language and themes of Greek press and television under the 1967-74 dictatorship. Rigas Goulimaris, Media
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3.20 Tea/coffee Break
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3.40 1848, "The Stanfield Hall Murders" and Family Romance Andrew King, Media
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4.20 Responsible Press Organisations? Ágnes Gulyás, Media
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4.40 Nation, Culture and Identity in a French language Corsican Newspaper John Richardson, Loughborough University
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5.00 - 5.30 Discussion and close
Abstracts
Objectivity and distancing in British press reporting
Dr Stephen Bax, Department of English and Language Studies How objective is press reporting in the UK today? How can we define and analyse objectivity? Is the quality press more objective than the tabloid press? This talk looks at these and related issues of press objectivity, as evidenced in a number of specific linguistic and rhetorical devices, during times of pressure. Examples will include press reporting in times of war, from the English civil war in the 17th century to the recent Iraq wars, and will also consider crime reporting. Data will suggest that the British broadsheet press does not appear to be significantly more objective than the tabloid press.
'Soft targets' : positive representations of immigrants in the news media
John Kullman, Dept. of English and Language Studies
Numerous studies have highlighted how immigrants to Britain are negatively represented in the British press. Many of these studies have adopted a critical discourse analytical approach to investigate in detail such negative representation. In this presentation I focus on two instances of positive representation in the national and local press of immigrants to Britain.
The first concerns the case of Amin Buratee, an Afghan immigrant and pupil at Canterbury High School who was threatened with deportation in 2004, while the second concerns Hartley Alleyne, a former professional cricketer who played for the West Indies and Kent, and cricket coach at St. Edmund's School in Canterbury, who is currently threatened with deportation. In analysing how these two cases have been treated in the press, I suggest that we need to consider how discourses on immigration and immigrants are in a constant process of change and also need to expand our framework for analysing how immigrants are represented in the news media.
Έλλάς Έλλήνων Χριστιανών: The language and themes of Greek press and television under the 1967-74 dictatorship.
Rigas Goulimaris, Department of Media
Greek newspapers and journalism were the target of governments throughout the 20th century. In 1967 the birth of Greek television coincided with the emergence of the dictatorship. Considering the political context, the paper discusses how the press, as well as television programs, mainly internal or Anglo-American productions, promoted patriotism, Orthodox Christianity, the nuclear family and Western values. With the overt intention of eradicating alternative ideologies, mainly communism, newspapers and television promoted audience homogeneity based on nationality, race, religious beliefs and lifestyle. The paper will discuss the language as a means for this homogenisation and the audience's negotiated/oppositional interpretations.
Responsible Press Organisations?
Dr Ágnes Gulyás, Department of Media
Corporate social responsibility became a buzzword in recent years in the business world with some companies being criticised in the media for their poor environmental performance or for maltreatment of employees by their suppliers in developing countries. Interestingly, however, practices of corporate responsibility have been more limited in media companies compared to other industrial sectors.
This paper seeks to investigate the development of corporate responsibility in press organisations. It aims to identify the reasons press organisations engage in corporate responsibility, and to compare interpretations and practices of corporate responsibility in these companies. The paper is part of a larger research project which involves a questionnaire survey, interviews and content analysis of corporate publications.
1848, "The Stanfield Hall Murders" and Family Romance
Dr Andrew King, Department of Media
In late 1848 a multiple murder was committed at Stanfield Hall, near Norwich. It was widely reported in the press but all newspapers – including even the radical Northern Star – wrote the story as a family romance with more than a glance towards contemporary trends in novel plots, hinting at Oedipal drama involving a resentful illegitimate son and focussing on an abused governess (Jane Eyre had recently been published). What were the pressure on the press – both radical and conservative – that caused the events to be given domestic meanings as opposed to social or political ones?
Nation, Culture and Identity in a French language Corsican Newspaper
Dr John Richardson, University of Loughborough
This talk presents data from a small scale empirical research project examining the relationship(s) between language, identity and journalism on Corsica. Focusing on Corse-Matin, a local newspaper bought daily by over 25 per cent of the island's population, the article draws on two research methods. First, semi-structured interviews were conducted with head and regional and editors as well as journalists serving key towns and districts on the island. Second, the newspaper itself was analysed using quantitative content analysis. Both methods were structured around three broadly framed research questions. First, what kinds of stories does the newspaper print and how does these contents relate to the lives of the inhabitants of the islands? Second, previous research on Corsica shows that there is a constant potential for tension in public discourse between 'French-ness' and 'Corsican-ness': to what extent is this reflected in Corse-Matin's reporting? Third, are there any notable absences in reporting outputs? Our results demonstrate the pressures and paradoxes of a local newspaper representing the local community.
Here are some of the previous seminars we have held:
Teachers talking across continents: analysing internet discourse in an online teacher development project
This talk considers the principles and practice of analysing internet discourse, drawing on data taken from an online collaborative forum for teachers in Canterbury and in Perth, Australia Speaker: Stephen Bax
Revisiting issues of identity in qualitative research: have I made any progress as a researcher?
Speaker An Swan
Title: Do students and teachers understand each other?
Speaker: Luz Maria Muñoz de Cote
Title: English language coursebook writers talking about coursebooks: deconstructing the discourses
Speaker: John Kullman
Title: Spoken grammar in ELT coursebooks
Speaker: Richard Cullen
Title: Dealing With Subjectivity in Research – from Personal Experience
Speaker: Jin Ge
If you would like to find out more about CRADLE and its activities you can contact:
Dr. Stephen Bax,
Department of English and Language Studies
Canterbury Christ Church University,
North Holmes Road,
Canterbury,
Kent CT1 1QU
Tel ++ 44 1227 767700 ext 2226 Fax 01227 781558