Wharton, Sue. (2012) Latent consensus in public debate : media discussion of fathers' rights in the UK. Communication, Culture and Critique, Vol.5 (No.3). pp. 427-444. ISSN 1753-9137

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Abstract

In this paper, I investigate media debate on an issue of social concern in the UK: divorced fathers' relationships with their children. Working from 3 media texts that form part of the debate, I use qualitative content analysis and systemic functional analysis to elucidate stances taken by speakers as they characterize social actors in situations of postdivorce parenting. I argue that beneath the apparently adversarial positions expressed, there exist consensual discourse models that are not made available for questioning. These latent discourse models tend to foment ideological closure, and to stifle voices attempting to reframe the debate. Such closure is unhelpful to an understanding of the complexities of modern family life, and may itself contribute to the social problems debated.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HQ The family. Marriage. Woman P Language and Literature > P Philology. Linguistics
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Centre for Applied Linguistics
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Debates and debating in mass media, Divorced fathers -- Public opinion, Father and child -- Public opinion
Journal or Publication Title:	Communication, Culture and Critique
Publisher:	John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
ISSN:	1753-9137
Date:	September 2012
Volume:	Vol.5
Number:	No.3
Page Range:	pp. 427-444
Identification Number:	10.1111/j.1753-9137.2012.01138.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
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URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/50362

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