Couldry meets Bourdieu: media meta-capital, symbolic violence, and the ‘hidden persuasion’ of print newspaper populism during the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign
posted on 2023-11-20, 06:07authored byArlene Ferguson-Somerville
The UK wide European Union membership (Brexit) referendum on the 23rd of June 2016 is
arguably the most significant socio-political event in modern British and European history. It
represents the first instance of an influential EU member state organising a plebiscite on
continuing membership and is distinguished by a result that largely defied expectations.
Campaigning began when the referendum date was announced on the 20th of February, nearly
two months before the start of the official 10-week campaign on the 15th of April and the Leave
and Remain movements both relied heavily on social and traditional media forms to
communicate with the voting public. Much of the subsequent discourse proved to be less about
reasoned and constructive argumentation than the recourse to negativity and provocative
political stunts. Since the referendum, virtually every aspect of British social, economic, and
political life has been impacted by the decision to leave the EU. Moreover, the result continues
to reverberate across the European continent, prompting on-going discussion about the
continuing viability of the EU. It is within the context of this unprecedented event that the
current study examines the ideologization of print newspaper discourse and takes as a case in
point the ideological construction of cultural identity in Daily Mail and The Guardian print
editions published during the referendum campaign. Utilising concepts and insights from the
field of critical discourse analysis (CDA), the research explores the intersection of culture,
populism and political events by investigating the construction and mobilisation of ‘the people’
as a source of political authority. The study reveals the deployment of symbolic resources
during this deeply divisive socio-political event, confirming not only the power of media elites
to impinge on the ability of individuals to critically analyse political events, but also the
continuing relevance of print newspapers as an influential medium for shaping culture and
identity. A key finding from this study is that symbolically violent language is idiosyncratic of
both the ‘popular’ and the ‘quality’ press. Ultimately, the current study raises new questions
about the capacity of citizens to make informed political decisions in a media environment
increasingly oriented around populism.
History
Location
CQUniversity
Additional Rights
CC-BY
Open Access
Yes
Era Eligible
No
Supervisor
Prof. Kate Ames, Assoc. Prof. Liz Ellison, Assoc. Prof. Sue Joseph