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Ideologies of language and race in US media discourse about the Trayvon Martin shooting.

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Ideologies of language and race in US media discourse about the Trayvon Martin shooting.
Authors: Hodges, Adam1 adamhodges@cmu.edu
Source: Language in Society. Jun2015, Vol. 44 Issue 3, p401-423. 23p.
Subject Terms: *Discourse, Racism in mass media
Company/Entity: Cable News Network , Fox News , MSNBC
People: Martin, Trayvon, 1995-2012
Abstract: This article examines the discourse about race and racism that ensued in the US media after the shooting death of an African American youth, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, in February 2012. The analysis examines news programs from the three major cable television channels in the United States: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. The theoretical framework builds upon Hill's (2008) discussion of the ‘folk theory of race and racism’ in contrast to critical race theory, and asks, to what extent does the mainstream media's discourse about race remain embedded in folk ideas and to what extent (if at all) does the conversation move beyond those ideas? The paper aims to unpack the ideologies of race and language that underpin talk about race and racism in an effort to expose the hidden assumptions in the discourse that hinder more productive dialogue on the topic. (Critical race theory, folk theory of race and racism, George Zimmerman, ideology, language ideology, media discourse, race, race talk, racism, slurs, Trayvon Martin)* [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
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Database: Education Research Complete
Description
Abstract:This article examines the discourse about race and racism that ensued in the US media after the shooting death of an African American youth, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood watch volunteer, George Zimmerman, in February 2012. The analysis examines news programs from the three major cable television channels in the United States: CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. The theoretical framework builds upon Hill's (2008) discussion of the ‘folk theory of race and racism’ in contrast to critical race theory, and asks, to what extent does the mainstream media's discourse about race remain embedded in folk ideas and to what extent (if at all) does the conversation move beyond those ideas? The paper aims to unpack the ideologies of race and language that underpin talk about race and racism in an effort to expose the hidden assumptions in the discourse that hinder more productive dialogue on the topic. (Critical race theory, folk theory of race and racism, George Zimmerman, ideology, language ideology, media discourse, race, race talk, racism, slurs, Trayvon Martin)* [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
ISSN:00474045
DOI:10.1017/S004740451500024X