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Dissertation
The Torture Debate in the Public Sphere: The Discussion of the Abu Ghraib Revelations in Newspaper Opinion Pieces, Online Discussion Groups and Weblogs
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2013
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-4194
Abstract
This cross-sectional study examines the torture debate in three parts of what Habermas called the public sphere. It examines 596 newspaper opinion pieces drawn from 26 different newspapers across the country, 210 threads from different online discussion groups and 108 blog posts from a sample of 10 different blogs. The period studied was between April 26, 2004 and June 30, 2006. Using a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods, this study compares the tone, content and types of arguments used across these three forums, thereby answering the following three questions: (1) whether the mainstream print media confronted or soft-pedaled the moral and legal issues at stake as consistent with the Indexing and Cascade models of press behavior, (2) whether there was any broader discussion in online discussion groups and in the blogosphere as would be consistent with their greater approximation of Habermass ideal speech situation, and (3) whether there is any evidence for or against Luckmans claim that morality has been privatized. The results of this study show that the opinion pieces overwhelmingly argued in opposition to violent treatment and actively counter-framed the George W. Bush administrations frame of the scandal, thereby lending support to the Cascade Model of press behavior. Furthermore, by examining the variety of topical aspects related to the issue that were brought up as well as the breadth of voices that contributed to online discussion, this studys findings support the idea of a broader discussion in online communication spaces as consistent with the idea of Habermas ideal speech situation. Lastly, on the newspaper opinion pages, this study found a marginalization of moral argumentation to the religious sources as well as a near absence of moral argumentation from online discussion and blogs, which indicates that morality seems to be disappearing from mainstream public discourse, as it is consistent with Luckmans idea of the privatization of morality.
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Details
- Title
- The Torture Debate in the Public Sphere
- Creators
- Julia Hagemann May - DU
- Contributors
- Douglas V. Porpora (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Arts and Sciences; Communication, Culture, and Media; Communication; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 4194; 991014632085604721