Date of Award
2007
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Communication and Culture
Abstract
In this thesis I argue that poverty is a keyword and that the meaning / meanings attached to it affect how we see the issue and what we choose to do or not do about it. I investigate how poverty coverage may be limiting popular discussion and action through a content analysis and discourse analysis of coverage in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. I conclude that as citizens we are not getting the information we need to consider how we as a society should go about eliminating poverty. I also conclude that the meaning of poverty is at present undergoing a transformation, and that contestations over the meaning of poverty are being played out in the news. I argue that we must be conscious of this shift in meaning and its implications, as it will significantly effect future policy and the structure of our society.
Recommended Citation
Redden, Joanna, "Locating the "unthinkable" in Canadian poverty coverage : a discourse and content analysis of two mainstream dailies" (2007). Theses and dissertations. Paper 326.
http://digitalcommons.ryerson.ca/dissertations/326