A Critical Discourse Analysis of Political News Stories in English Dailies
Date
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Faculty of Education, Tribhuvan University Kirtipur
Abstract
The present study entitled A Critical Discourse Analysis of the Political News Stories in English Dailieswas an attempt to identify and analyze the formal features of political news stories critically in terms of metaphor, modality and transitivity, to analyze discursive practices and ideological hegemony within political news stories from newspapers and to suggest some pedagogical implications on the basis of three dimensional CDA framework developed by Norman Fairclough (1992). To carry out this analytical descriptive corpus-based study, I purposively selected nine political news stories from three leading English dailies in Nepal viz. The Rising Nepal, The Himalayan Times and The Kathmandu Postby using non-random sampling procedure. The data were collected using observation checklists as the tools of data collection. It is found that the conceptual metaphors are used to highlight the relationship between Nepal and India and to present new government‟s actions positively. Most repeatedly used modal markers show new government‟s confidentiality towards socio-economic development in Nepal as well as rebuilding relationship with India and some high value model markers are used to carry over the positive image of Indian rulers in Nepalese society. Excessive use of material processes shows new government as a real actor who is going to perform better actions for the sake of people. The voices of new government and Indian rulers are quoted most profoundly to highlight the political message vividly and to enhance the people‟s faith on them. The genres and discourses related to economic development and religions are accommodated to gain the emotional support of the people. Political leaders and the news writers have used different discursive practices such as presentation of glorious past and fear of future to control the people ideologically. Political actors like Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal (here after PM Dahal), Deputy Prime Minister BimalendraNidhi (here after DPM Nidhi) and even Indian rulers have shaped the news stories and their nature of production. This thesis is divided into five chapters. Every chapter consists of necessary headings and sub-headings. Chapter one introduces background of the study, statement of the problem, objectives of the study, research questions, significance of the study, delimitations of the study and operational definitions of the key terms. Chapter two consists of review of theoretical literature, implications of the review for the study, and conceptual framework of the research. Chapter three deals with methodology adopted to carry out the research. It consists of design of the study, population, sample and sampling strategy, research tools, sources of data, data collection procedures, and data analysis procedures. Chapter four consists of analysis of data and interpretation of results. Findings, conclusion and recommendations are presented in chapter five. The final part of the study consists of references and appendices.