Assignment #11 for the Departments of English & Media Studies by Prof Dr Sohail Ansari

Definitions  

§        “Interpretative Frame” A frame is a contextualization that situates a specific claim within a selective, coherent, purposeful interpretative context (Baden, 2010).

§       Frames are selective in that they select specific aspects of complex reality as relevant for constructing the meaning of some information, and ignore others as ephemeral/irrelevant (Entman, 1993).

§       Frames are coherent in the sense that they connect the selected aspects of reality and explain how these are relevant to one another (Gamson & Modigliani, 1987).

§       Frames are interpretative packages consisting of rhetorical devices, such as metaphors, visual images, and symbols.  Packaging: the presentation of a person or thing in an advantageous way. "diplomatic packaging of the key provisions will make a confrontation unlikely"

§       In the social sciences, framing comprises a set of concepts and theoretical perspectives on how individuals, groups, and societies, organize, perceive, and communicate about reality. Framing involves social construction of a social phenomenon – by mass media sources, political or social movements, political leaders, or other actors and organizations. 

What frames do

§       There is not a single discourse but a set of discourses that interact in complex ways. In the complex nexus of various competing discourses, frames provide a central organising idea that help to put a particular news item in a wider context through selecting some aspects of a perceived reality and making them more salient in a communicating text.

Purpose of Frames

§       Frames are purposeful because every frame implies specific interpretations, evaluations, or courses of action; such that different frames highlighting different aspects of the same reality inevitably lead to different conclusions (Benford & Snow, 1992).

§       The purpose of frames can be defined strategically (a frame is constructed in order to justify a specific conclusion) or constructively (an interpreter constructs a frame to make sense of something without a specific agenda, but the frame then suggests specific conclusions nevertheless). A frame is thus always focused on the claim it frames. Frames define the situation that a specific piece of information must be understood against (“problem definition”, Entman, 1993).

Exercise:

Watch or read:

·         The media of Israel Versus Arabic Media for metaphors, visual images, and symbols used in coverage of the Arab Israeli conflict

Rather than masking trust deficit issues that afflict relations between Pakistan and USA, discourses parade them in full view to their consumers.

·         Select such discourses to examine frames those provide a central organising idea that help to put fissures in a particular context through selecting some aspects of a perceived reality and making them more salient in a communicating text.

We look back at our former selves with laughter because just you are a beautiful blonde size today does not mean that you would be considered beautiful in times past? Much like fashion trends, the perception of beauty has consistently changed over the course of centuries, sometimes for the better, and unfortunately, sometimes for the worse. Similarly, the framing of obesity and overweight has fluctuated between medical, political, and economic perspectives.

Framing change the perception so that individuals, groups, and societies, organize, perceive, and communicate about reality differently. Study of the change of frames overtime helps us to find out the difference in the constructions of various social phenomena or in other words to find out the constructions of same social phenomenon in various ways.

Exercise:

§       Examine frames used to frame the perception of beauty obesity and overweight to explain how the perception of these things changed over the years. 

§       Find out the frames manifested themselves in different semantic contexts for word combinations. Detect the dynamics of frames via changes in the semantics of the clusters of words in their semantic contexts over time? 

§       Scan certain public issues and broad topics to show that different sets of words reflect various frames within public debates on specific topics and then show how ultimately some frames dominate.

Although the United States consists of a population with a vast range of diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, a number of themes in American culture influence all Americans, regardless of background differences. 

Exercise:

·         What are the keywords or phrases that reinforce the theme of American Culture and how they are framed?

There is the great diversity of the people and cultures of a vast area that includes Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent. The common thread of    Islam unites these regions. 

Exercise:

·         Identify recurring themes, forms, and modes of expression.

Stereotypes addresses the dimensions of identity

Exercise:

·         Identify frames manifested through stereotyped images.

Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. ... Whereas hard power—the ability to coerce—grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country's culture, political ideals, and policies.

Exercise:

·         Examine discourses those take disapproving look at USA flexing muscle for frames those help to put the public show of power in a negative light.

·         Examine frames in discourses to put the American exchange program in a positive light.

There is a parallel opposition between vibrant NGOs inspired by patriotism and NGOs tainted by corruption and traitorous actions. Image of NGOs is paraded by discourses to extol its role. State and society have been debilitated by the former’s lack of legitimacy and by cumulative onslaughts on the economy and societal integrity; NGOs, as discourses go crusade. However, on the other hand, discourses view NGOs detrimental to the national interests. There are however discourses on a comfortable middle ground.

It seems however significant that we should consider the matter carefully before we accept any discourse carte blanche. Therefore, we must glean awareness from competing discourses to arrive at truth.

Exercise:

§       Examine the frames discourses use to extol the disinterested, selfless concern and altruistic acts of NGOs

§       Examine discourses for frames that view NGOs detrimental to the national interests

§       Examine discourses for frames that express the guarded optimism for the ability of NGOs to deliver on.

Participation in any political or social movements necessarily influences an individual's perception of the meanings attributed to words or phrases.

Exercise:

·         Analyze the pro- Islamic Newspaper and the secular one to pick the difference in the meanings attributed to words or phrases.

Media framing often manifests itself by the choice of some key words, key phrases and images that reinforce a particular representation of the reality and a specific emotion toward it, and the omission of other elements that could suggest a different perspective or trigger a different sentiment.

Exercise:

Watch or read:

·         The media of Israel Versus Arabic Media & The media of Pakistan  Versus Indian Media for key words, key phrases and images that reinforce a particular representation of the reality of conflicts between two countries.  

·         Analyze the pro- Islamic Newspapers and the secular ones for key words, key phrases and images that reinforce a specific emotion toward a particular representation of the reality, and the omission of other elements that could suggest a different perspective or trigger a different sentiment.

Frames can be observed in the journalist’s selection of whom to quote, what to quote and where this quote will be placed in the story. This selection process is known to be influenced by multiple factors, including the journalist’s personal belief system, his working conditions, the editorial position and journalistic practices in his organization, as well as more distant factors such as the economic environment, the political climate, and the broader ideological and cultural conditions prevalent in his society.

Exercise:

·         Select two articles to analyze journalist’s selection of whom to quote, what to quote and where this quote will be placed in the story. One article from Pakistani news paper and one from India News paper. Both must be dealing with the same issue or a problem.

·         Select two articles to analyze journalist’s personal belief system, his working conditions, and the broader ideological and cultural conditions prevalent in his society.

One article from a secular newspaper of Pakistan; and one from a religious News paper of Pakistan. Both must be dealing with the same issue or a problem.

Framing affects the interpretation of history and of heroic figures. Media selects for you the segments of history to think about. Framing gives meaning to history. Media frame personalities of founding fathers of India and Pakistan through an isolation of the data in the mind or the imagination, not outside the mind or the imagination. Both nations, therefore, have different epics, narrating the adventures of their legendary figures.

Exercise:

§       Explain the relative merits of competing interpretations of Indo-Pak Partition.

§       Analyze how the media of two different countries construct the different account of the same figures.

Framing is a sentence: “Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all terrorists are Muslims’’.

Exercise:

Watch movies or read articles to find out sentences pregnant with insinuations or explicit or implicit words for inflaming arguments against Muslim