Dissertation
Dinosaurs and Donkeys: British Tabloid Newspapers and Trade Unions, 2002-2010
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
01/2012
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/4086
Abstract
This study presents a critical discourse analysis of how three major British tabloid newspapers - The Sun, the Daily Mail, and the Daily Mirror - represented four major strikes - the Fire Brigades Union strike of 2002, the Communication Workers Union strikes of 2007 and 2009-2010, and the Lindsey Oil Refinery strike of 2009. It finds four themes in tabloid newspaper discourse: First, trade unions were represented as impediments to "modernization," a term that was rarely defined but often demanded, which helped cast trade unions and their members as backward reactionaries and anachronisms in an age of neoliberalism. Second, trade unions were represented as bringers of chaos and destruction who posed a threat to the economy, public safety, and the wellbeing of society. Third, tabloid newspapers focused on the relationship between trade unions and the Labour Party (and Labour leaders in particular). Fourth, and finally, tabloid newspapers highlighted immigration as an issue that intersected with traditional industrial relations in complex ways.
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Details
- Title
- Dinosaurs and Donkeys
- Creators
- Ryan James Thomas
- Contributors
- Elizabeth B Hindman (Advisor)Douglas B Hindman (Committee Member)Michael W Salvador (Committee Member)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Edward R. Murrow College of Communication
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 267
- Identifiers
- 99900581857101842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation