KUKU

KU ScholarWorks

  • myKU
  • Email
  • Enroll & Pay
  • KU Directory
    • Login
    View Item 
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Education
    • Curriculum and Teaching Scholarly Works
    • View Item
    •   KU ScholarWorks
    • Education
    • Curriculum and Teaching Scholarly Works
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Words As Weapons: The Metaphorical Attack of Michelle Obama in US Print Headlines

    Thumbnail
    View/Open
    05_TLS53_Thomas-1.pdf (342.8Kb)
    Issue Date
    2009
    Author
    Thomas, M'Balia
    Publisher
    The University of Texas at Austin
    Type
    Article
    Published Version
    http://salsa.ling.utexas.edu/proceedings/2009/index.html​
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Abstract
    It has been suggested that media coverage of Michelle Obama during the months leading up to the November 2008 US Presidential election in which her husband Barack Obama was a candidate, was at times unfair and biased, occasionally negative and in bad taste, and a few times arguably racist, stereotypic, and attacking in nature (The Capital Times, June 21, 2008). Those who express these ideas often cite systemic American racism and racial ideology as the cause of such press, citing as examples the July 21, 2008 cover of The New Yorker (in which Michelle and Barack Obama are featured in stereotypically charged images) and Fox News Channel’s use of the racially-loaded phrase “Baby Mama” to refer to Ms. Obama (June 11, 2008). Others suggest Michelle Obama herself is the cause of such negative press, referring to her February 2008 Wisconsin stump speech (a speech which raised questions about her “pride” in America), her active participation in her husband’s campaign, and her off-the-cuff remarks in interviews describing her husband’s personal habits. Still others posit that when wives of political candidates take an active role in their husbands’ campaigns, they are “fair game” for negative critique and scrutiny (USA Today, May 20, 2008). Perhaps all three factors played a role in the media’s attempt to shape, construct and engage the national discourse around Michelle Obama and the possibility of her becoming First Lady of the United States of America. This paper sets out to examine some of the discourse in US newspapers during the last 10 months of the 2008 US Presidential election to determine whether coverage was indeed biased, negative and attacking, as some have suggested.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/26586
    Collections
    • Curriculum and Teaching Scholarly Works [61]
    Citation
    Thomas, M. (2009). WORDS AS WEAPONS: The metaphorical attack of Michelle Obama in US print headlines (A critical discourse analysis). In Proceedings of the Symposium on Language and Society in Austin (SALSA) (pp. 39-49). Austin, TX.

    Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.


    We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.


    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    Browse

    All of KU ScholarWorksCommunities & CollectionsThis Collection

    My Account

    LoginRegister

    Statistics

    View Usage Statistics

    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

    The University of Kansas
      Contact KU ScholarWorks
    Lawrence, KS | Maps
     
    • Academics
    • Admission
    • Alumni
    • Athletics
    • Campuses
    • Giving
    • Jobs

    The University of Kansas prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, national origin, age, ancestry, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, gender identity, gender expression and genetic information in the University’s programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Director of the Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access, IOA@ku.edu, 1246 W. Campus Road, Room 153A, Lawrence, KS, 66045, (785)864-6414, 711 TTY.

     Contact KU
    Lawrence, KS | Maps