Marion Barry's road to redemption

A textual analysis of ABC's news story aired on 14 September 1994

Bibliographic Data

ID7500633
AuthorsAbhik Roy (0000-0001-5074-409X, corresponding author)
Year1996
Volume7
Issue4
Pages315-327
Publication date1996-10-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueHoward Journal of Communications (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1064-6175 • E-ISSN: 1096-4649
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/10646179609361734
OpenAlexW2039617863
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited24

Using a critical studies approach, a textual analysis was done to examine an ABC news story on Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry that was aired on 14 September 1994. Previous research findings indicate that network news coverage of African Americans is often biased and stereotypical. The purpose of this study was to examine a recent news story on Barry, who has been a subject of controversy, to see how he was portrayed by this network. A close textual analysis of both visual and verbal messages reveals that ABC's portrayal of Barry was rhetorical in nature. It is the author's view that the visual, verbal, presentational, and tonal codes in this news segment not only paint Barry in a negative way, but also convey a stereotypical image of African Americans

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