Guest Lecture on Foucault, Discourse, and the Media PDF

SOCI 333 Contemporary Sociological Theories Guest Lecture by: Dr. Motilola Akinfemisoye-Adejare Department of Anthropology and Archaeology Faculty of Arts Brief Introduction Journalism, Media and Communication 2 Foucault, Discourse and the Media: What can we learn from these connections? This aftern...

SOCI 333 Contemporary Sociological Theories Guest Lecture by: Dr. Motilola Akinfemisoye-Adejare Department of Anthropology and Archaeology Faculty of Arts Brief Introduction Journalism, Media and Communication 2 Foucault, Discourse and the Media: What can we learn from these connections? This afternoon, we would discuss why theorists such as Michel Foucault are not only useful in expanding our horizons on contemporary sociological theories but also how such theories and theorists continue to shape research. Theory and research are two sides of a coin, and as such, theories are not simply abstract ideas. We would therefore consider how Foucault’s notion of ‘power’ is both implicated and performed in media texts using the reporting of one revolutionary event as an illustrative anchor. Foucault: “Discipline and Punish: The birth of a Prison” “We must cease once and for all to describe the effects of power in negative terms: it ‘excludes’, it ‘represses’, it ‘censors’, it ‘abstracts’, it ‘masks’, it ‘conceals’. In fact, power produces; it produces reality; it produces domains of objects and rituals of truth. The individual and the knowledge that may be gained of him belong to this production” (Foucault 1977: 194). Power and the Media Power in this sense goes beyond what happens in politics. It is about what is normalised in the everyday. Power is all around us. It is in how we choose to do what we do, where we go or not go, and so on. When you think of the media, whether it be a government-owned or privately-owned venture, does power come to mind? How does the media create and perpetuate a ‘regime of truth’? Power and the Media (cont’d) “The ways in which we perceive our social and cultural lives are shaped to a great extent by what we see on television or read in newspapers or hear on radio. Media – among other meaning systems- structure our lives (Laughey 2007:54-55)” It is through the media that “...governments and other groups seek to exercise power and influence.” (McQuail and Windahl 1993) Power and the Media (cont’d) While we are not just sponges, but have the choice to agree, disagree or even sit on the fence, Laughey (2007:55) argues that “the power to decide what stories, ideas, tastes and values are offered to us via media communications is structured unequally in favour of some interests (the ruling ones) rather than others (the interests of the silent majority)”. While there are theorists who believe that we can resist the media’s hegemony, Foucault argues that we have internalized the power structures that oppress us. 7 Discourse and the Media Power and knowledge; how the media is implicated in how much knowledge, what knowledge, how we know what we know, etc. How stories are told, how many stories are told, who tells the stories, when they are told, why they are told are driven by power How then does the media create and perpetuate a ‘regime of truth’? 8 Let’s go to Tahrir Square, Cairo Egypt. January 2011 Source: BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/wor ld-africa-12272836 9 Let’s go to Tahrir Square, Cairo Egypt. January 2011 Egypt came under the searchlight of the media following the protests which took place between 25th January and 11th February 2011. Tahrir Square does not necessarily refer to one of the ancient landmarks of a country referred to as the cradle of civilisation. Tahrir Square has become synonymous with liberation. Dubbed the Arab Spring, media organisations all around the world reported on the events that took place in Egypt. 10 ‘Peace’ or ‘war’ frames in reporting conflicts? BBC: Egypt protests: Three killed in 'day of revolt' https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-12272836 In the pursuit of objectivity and journalistic professionalism, journalists have always relied on news sources to lend credence to their story and make it appear unbiased. However, as Richardson (2007:49) argues, “the way that people are named in news discourse can have significant impact on the way they are viewed”. 11 Discourse, power and the media “…three people are reported to have been killed”. The question is who said this? Although, there is a later mention of doctors as the source of this information, there is a systematic method of avoiding giving credibility to the Egyptians as authentic news sources. Also, by saying that the “Muslim Brotherhood, the banned Islamist movement, seems rudderless” this report leans towards value-judgement which is an attribute of violenceorientated journalism. 12 Contrast with Al-Jazeera Al-Jazeera: January 26, 2011 https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/1/26/three-dead-in-egyptprotests The headline of this text comes in five catchy words: “Three dead in Egypt protests”. the Egyptians are described in this text as harmless people who receive inhumane treatment from security forces. A phrase such as “crowds numbering in thousands protested” is a mild representation of violence. 13 Whose voices? There is also a deliberate euphemism in Al-Jazeera’s report: “the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s technically banned but largest opposition party”. This group is referred to as though it was a political party in opposition to the ruling party and that it has been banned but only technically because it remains a force to be reckoned with in Egypt. Egyptian eyewitnesses are named as news sources: “Mamdouh Khayrat, a 23-year old man who travelled from the governorate of Qalubiya to attend the protests told Al-Jazeera’s Makary in Cairo”. Despite the fact that this 23-year old man’s name might never have been mentioned anymore in Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the Egypt protests, it is given deliberate prominence here. 14 Whose voices? For the BBC, the news sources named include the US Secretary of State at the Time Hilary Clinton who is quoted to have said “Washington believed the Egyptian government was stable and looking for ways to respond to the legitimate needs and interests of the Egyptian people” (Italics for emphasis). Deacon et al (1999: 173) argue that the “narrative ordering and framing of selective quotation is part of the characteristic rhetoric of news journalism… crating the appearance of a factual account”. 15 Contemporary society combines knowledge and power as a means for social control. Knowledge produced from the media empowers or disempowers Through newsmaking and journalistic practices, the media creates discourses. Discourse serve as a site of contestation, negotiation, as well as power 16 When next one watches the news on TV, or TikTok, perhaps, it is useful to ask: Why am I being told what I am told? 17