Abstract
This article analyzes a television news story using a particular example. In line with the research tradition of the ethnomethodological approach of membership categorization analysis, our main analytical concerns are (i) to understand the logic of practical reasoning and intelligibility involved in the production of the news story; (ii) to examine how this intelligibility is generated and what resources – such as commonsense knowledge of the social structures – are used to make the news story communicable; and (iii) to explore how specific forms of categorization employed in the news story are used to induce certain readings or to promote certain worldviews. The news story analyzed describes the progressive increase of foreign participants at the San Fermín running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It also highlights the still minority participation by women at this massive event. The results of the analysis show that both “foreigners” and “women” are presented as being in the wrong place. Through association with their typical predicates, both “foreigners” and “women” are construed in the news story as the “other.” A final reflection is made on the concept of identity, which is understood as a situated accomplishment.
Funding source: Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación
Award Identifier / Grant number: CSO2011-23786
Funding statement: This work was supported by a grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación) for the research project “Analysis of audiovisual narratives on civilizations and cultures. Representations and interpretations of television news narratives” (grant number CSO2011-23786).
About the authors
Carles Roca-Cuberes is Lecturer in the Department of Communication, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain, where he teaches Communication Theory and Social Research Methods. His research interests include communication theory, ethnomethodology, conversation analysis and interpersonal communication and social interaction in settings such as psychiatric and broadcast political interviews. He is currently investigating the representation of particular subcultures in the news media.
Rafael Ventura (MA, Universitat Jaume I) is Trainee Research Fellow at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spain. His research interests are in the role of the media in gender and sexual socialization, media effects and heteronormativity. He is currently investigating the representation of particular subcultures in the news media.
Appendix: transcription conventions
- (0.5)
The number in brackets indicates a time gap in tenths of a second.
- (.)
A dot enclosed in a bracket indicates a pause in the talk of less than two-tenths of a second.
- ((words))
A description enclosed in double brackets indicates a non-verbal activity. For example, “((banging sound)).” Alternatively, double brackets may enclose the transcriber’s comments on contextual or other features.
- sou:::nd
Colons indicate that the speaker has stretched the preceding sound or letter. The more colons the greater the extent of the stretching.
- word,
A comma indicates a “continuing” intonation.
- a:
Less marked falls in pitch can be indicated by using underlining immediately preceding a colon.
- a:
Less marked rises in pitch can be indicated using a colon which itself is underlined.
- Under
Underlined fragments indicate speaker emphasis.
- >words<
Inward chevrons indicate that the talk they encompass was produced noticeably quicker than the surrounding talk.
- .h
A dot before an “h” indicates speaker in-breath. The more h’s, the longer the in-breath.
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