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narrative analysis of "The Miami Herald"'s coverage of the Elian Gonzalez saga

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Date Issued:
2001
Summary:
This study examines the coverage of an event that took place mostly in Miami, Florida and was reported on by The Miami Herald for more than six months. There are several issues that are addressed in this thesis. The primary hypothesis of this analysis is that the coverage of the Elian Gonzalez custody battle as it appeared in The Miami Herald uses the same narrative techniques as those used in fictional melodrama or soap operas. John Fiske's theory of melodrama as developed from Brown (1987) and a similar model used by Fiske (1987) is used to compare the specified piece of news coverage with generic soap opera narrative elements. The historical and political backgrounds of the Miami-Cuban community are integral factors in this news phenomenon---their roles in this controversy are thoroughly analyzed. Serious implications occurred as a result of this coverage; they are discussed in the conclusion of this thesis.
Title: A narrative analysis of "The Miami Herald"'s coverage of the Elian Gonzalez saga.
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Name(s): Caravella, Kristi D.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Scodari, Christine, Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2001
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 153 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This study examines the coverage of an event that took place mostly in Miami, Florida and was reported on by The Miami Herald for more than six months. There are several issues that are addressed in this thesis. The primary hypothesis of this analysis is that the coverage of the Elian Gonzalez custody battle as it appeared in The Miami Herald uses the same narrative techniques as those used in fictional melodrama or soap operas. John Fiske's theory of melodrama as developed from Brown (1987) and a similar model used by Fiske (1987) is used to compare the specified piece of news coverage with generic soap opera narrative elements. The historical and political backgrounds of the Miami-Cuban community are integral factors in this news phenomenon---their roles in this controversy are thoroughly analyzed. Serious implications occurred as a result of this coverage; they are discussed in the conclusion of this thesis.
Identifier: 9780493238845 (isbn), 12808 (digitool), FADT12808 (IID), fau:9683 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2001.
Subject(s): González, Elián,--1993---Press coverage
Miami herald (Miami, Fla)
Journalism--Objectivity--Florida--Miami
Cuban Americans--Public opinion
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12808
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.