Year: 2006
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This thesis is a study of the David Irving libel trial and its newspaper coverage. The\nlibel trial, involving allegations of Holocaust denial, gained widespread coverage in\nthe national broadsheet newspapers. It is the presentation of Irving and the debate\naround the term 'Holocaust denier' in the newspapers that this thesis focuses upon.\nThe aim of the thesis is to examine the presentation of an individual such as Irving, as\na fascist and Holocaust denier, through the newspapers.\nThe thesis, therefore, approaches the topic of contemporary fascism through a case\nstudy of the way that fascism is represented in the media and the language used in\nsuch representation. This differs from previous examinations of contemporary\nfascists and Holocaust deniers that place their primary emphasis upon the motivation\nbehind such ideological positions. The theoretical basis of the thesis is one based\nprimarily upon Rhetorical Psychology, informed by a background of Discursive\nPsychology. The thesis focuses upon the rhetorical strategies used, both in the\ncourtroom and in the newspaper coverage of the action. Additionally, a content\nanalysis was carried out, which showed that the broadsheets provided most coverage,\nthat Irving was the main focus of the coverage, and that the opening and judgment\ndays gained the most column inches.\nGiven that much of the trial was predicated upon a debate as to the meaning of the\nterm 'Holocaust denier', areas of the trial transcript were also analysed to determine\nthe rhetorical strategies used in this debate. Following on from this, the potential\ntransition in the use of the term was shown in the newspaper coverage. It is shown\nthat 'Holocaust denier' underwent a noticeable shift from the coverage of the opening\nday to the coverage of the judgment. The thesis shows the change of language over a\nrelatively short space of time, providing implications as to the development of\nideographs or terms used in ideological discourse, and the manner in which they may be analysed. The thesis ends with some suggestions for further research into ideographs and ideological discourse in general.
Author: Emma Alice Wilson Vine
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2891788270