Constructing press releases, constructing quotations

A case study

Dados Bibliográficos

ID22986928
AutoresKim Sleurs (University of Antwerp), Geert Jacobs (0000-0003-1180-0487, University of Antwerp), Luuk Van Waes (0000-0002-3642-9533, Ghent University)
Ano2003
Volume7
Fascículo2
Páginas192-212
Data de publicação2003-05-01
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoJournal of Sociolinguistics (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 1360-6441 • E-ISSN: 1467-9841
EditoraWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/1467-9481.00219
OpenAlexW2049947895
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas25

This paper reports on empirical research into how press releases are being constructed. It starts from previous discourse‐analytic work which has pointed to the ‘preformulated’ nature of press releases: in particular, it has been shown that through a number of metapragmatic features press releases can easily be copied by journalists in their own news reporting. In this paper we set out to subject one of these features, viz. pseudo‐quotations (or so‐called constructed direct speech), to a further empirical study, in which we scrutinize the process of constructing the press releases. We propose a detailed analysis of this process by combining ethnographic fieldwork with some of the methodology of cognitive psychology, including think‐aloud protocols and on‐line registration of the writing process. On the basis of this case study it is concluded that the design and functions of quotations in press releases are more complex than has been assumed so far. In addition, our preliminary results indicate that the combination of methods that we propose in this paper provides a sound starting point for both quantitative and qualitative analysis, allowing for a detailed analysis and interpretation of how press releases are being constructed.

Empirical research · Epistemology · Ethnography · Human–computer interaction · Interpretation (philosophy) · Linguistics · Point (geometry) · Process (computing) · Programming language · Set (abstract data type) · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Think aloud protocol · World Wide Web · Computer Science · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies · Language, Metaphor, and Cognition · Mathematics · Philosophy