Negative Media Presentation of ‘Others’: Stereotyping Jacque Le Worm Chirac as an Opponent to Military Action
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| Year of publication | 2007 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
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| Description | Based on material from the British tabloid daily The Sun – one of the staunchest supporters of US-led military action, the presentation analyses recurrent patterns of lexical choices used when referring to French opposition to US intervention, represented by the French president, Jacques Chirac. It documents the gradual development of the ‘le worm’ nickname in The Sun from an ad-hoc attribute and a quasi-title to an independently used form of reference. Paying attention to verbal context, transitivity and collocation patterns in individual articles, it explores the developing connotations of this form and its significance as representing an opposing and dissenting opinion. The form is interpreted in the context of negative stereotyping of the French and the role of animalistic metaphors applied to members of ‘out-groups’. The application of such stereotype-laden metaphorical labels at times of crises not only denigrates opponents but also contributes to the development of a ‘hysterical style’ of reporting which replaces logical argumentation with emotional appeals to pre-existing and newly constructed stereotypes. |
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