Patrona2006

From emcawiki
Jump to: navigation, search
Patrona2006
BibType ARTICLE
Key Patrona2006
Author(s) Marianna Patrona
Title Conversationalization and media empowerment in Greek television discussion programs
Editor(s)
Tag(s) EMCA, conversationalization, discussion programs, empowerment, journalistic practices, politicians, public sphere
Publisher
Year 2006
Language English
City
Month
Journal Discourse & Society
Volume 17
Number 1
Pages 5–27
URL Link
DOI 10.1177/0957926506058062
ISBN
Organization
Institution
School
Type
Edition
Series
Howpublished
Book title
Chapter

Download BibTex

Abstract

This article explores the conversational practices of the hosts of Greek television discussion programs vis-à-vis experts. The aim is to discover, first, the extent to which media talk in Greece echoes the attested conversationalization of western media discourse, and, second, the discourse manifestations of this tendency in the Greek television media. It is shown that the discourse of hosts does indeed display an affinity to informal conversation. More specifically, far from sustaining a formally neutral stance, the presenters engage in overt alignment-building in support of experts, or, conversely, issue direct challenges toward them. In this framework, politicians are positioned as defendants in a courtroom hearing. It is argued that the hosts' strategies of personal involvement illustrate the celebration of personality by the media, and supply evidence of the empowerment of media actors and media institutions. Furthermore, the discursive practices of moderators help constitute the mediated political sphere in contemporary Greece.

Notes