Quoting in Front-Page Journalism: Illustrating, Evaluating and Confirming the News

Abstract

Journalism is traditionally described as reports concerning new and factual events (e.g. Kunelius, 1996: 17). However, very few pages would remain of the average newspaper if this was the whole truth. Take news reports on the attack in New York, 11 September 2001, for instance. No doubt, this was not only news as 'discourse on discourse' (despite the tremendous symbolic and cinematic qualities of the attack). This was a real-world event. Yet television reports strongly relied upon comments and analysis from experts and pundits, which were generated by the reporters' questions. Therefore, I argue, news content revolves around the practice of quoting: the (co-)construction, selection, editing and representation of comments, explanations, interpretations, speculations, praise and blame, among others. In short, news items are, to a large extent, 'talked into being' (see Boden, 1990: 149).In this article I will analyse quotes in relation to the general news story. The analysis explores and elaborates on four highly typical features: monological versus dialogical narrative frames, reformulations and narrative shifts. My exploration is guided by methods and theories derived from research on spoken discourse. Similar approaches have been fruitfully applied to written texts by Clayman (1990) and Kroon (2001). The analysis is based on a one-week sample of seven conventional Nordic morning papers (15-21 November 1999). The newspapers are: Berlinske Tidende, Politiken (both Denmark), Helsingin Sanomat, Hufvudstadsbladet (Finland), Aftenposten (Norway), Dagens Nyheter and Svenska Dagbladet (Sweden). I have focused on the 'lead story' in every newspaper. The narrative properties of a quoteA general look at the front-page quotes in the data gives a kind of 'snapshot' of public discourse that, to a large extent, still prevails in Scandinavia and many other western countries. There are quarrelling politicians, blaming and counter-blaming 'them' and praising 'us'. There is the European Union 'sharpening its voice' in relation to Russia, and fighting against market restraints in order to promote

The journalist, the housewife, the citizen and the press

“…The 'so what' question implicit in this study is answered, then, by arguing that who is asked to speak in the news, as well as what that news is, says crucially important things about whose voices count, who has status in society. Whilst Nylund (2003) perhaps overstates the case a little by suggesting that news is constructed almost entirely from the use of quotes and journalistic interpretations of various source statements, it is clear that the persistent use of certain categories of commentator influences story orientation and, potentially, our understanding of the world. Does the news-consuming public want only to hear men speaking in the register of privilege and defence of the status quo or would they/we like some diversity?…”

Dueling, Dancing, or Dominating? Journalists and Their Sources

“…However, journalists cultivate the appearance of proactively seeking sources rather than mindlessly assembling materials provided by others. As Nyland (2003) notes, journalists utilize quotes to invoke their presence in acquiring the quote to bolster their credibility as active agents. This style of journalism suggests that news texts are a conversation among differing viewpoints even if 'various voices are speaking in the text, but they are not speaking to each other' (p. 845).…”

“…First, the reliance on sources indemnifies journalists from charges of bias while allowing for the inclusion of critical statements. Since sources are not beholden to restrictions of neutrality, quotes in a news narrative are useful in terms of ‘confirmation of claims of newsworthiness, evaluation, criticism and blame, emotions, subjective experiences, sense of presence and validity, and “solutions” to problems’ (Nyland 2003, p. 851). Sources make direct assertions in ways denied to journalists.…”

Narrative Norms in Written News

“…A newer, very interesting, analysis from Finland of the quotations in front-page journalism shows how quotations within articles are used for several purposes: 1) to confirm the news value of an article, 2) to evaluate problems established in the text, 3) to communicate criticism in order to reinforce conflict and drama, 4) to communicate subjective experiences formulated by the sources, 5) to communicate a sense of closeness to them in time and space and 6) to communicate attitudes, interpretations and solutions to the problems presented, cf. Nylund (2003).…”