Premium
Attribution and Power in Hong Kong News Discourse
Author(s) -
Scollon Ron
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
world englishes
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.6
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1467-971X
pISSN - 0883-2919
DOI - 10.1111/1467-971x.00072
Subject(s) - power (physics) , situated , context (archaeology) , sociology , attribution , delegation , journalism , discourse analysis , linguistics , media studies , political science , psychology , history , social psychology , computer science , law , archaeology , philosophy , physics , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence
The attribution of sources is situated within the broader context of social practice. Giving or withholding voice is done through the ‘same’ linguistic means, but in particular, situated cases, like means may produce significantly different outcomes. Organizing a rich interdiscursivity of practice are three forms of discursive power: (1) the power to command animation or authorship; (2) the power to give or deny voice, and (3) the power to frame discursive events. All three are found in the news discourse of Hong Kong, in English or in Chinese. What is different between these two discourses is not the exercise of power through discursive means, but the explicit focusing of that power. English or Western journalism tends to highlight the individual voices of the presenter, reporter (through bylining and delegation frames) and newsmaker (through quotation and actualities). Less clearly seen is the social and institutional power behind these voices. In Hong Kong Chinese news, one hears the voices of the news organization. Individual voices of reporters, sub‐editors, and newsmakers are backgrounded. In Hong Kong journalistic practice, social and institutional power is discursively brought into the foregound and individual speaker’s or writer’s power is set into the shadows.