Brisbane Times: An Interesting Media Method
Saturday, July 14th, 2007Here’s the scoop: Douglas Alexander, a political ally of new British PM Gordon Brown, gave a speech denouncing a “might makes right” approach to international relations. He stumped multilateralism and peaceful diplomacy as an alternative to war.
Alexander’s comments have stirred up the rumor mill, and many are claiming that his remarks were an understated way of breaking ties with the foreign policy methods of the United States, particularly pertaining to the unpopular conflict in Iraq.
However, this article from the foreign Brisbane Times seemed quite odd to me. The headline–Senior British minister hints at shift in US relations–is essentially an argument that the rest of the article subtly refutes.
This media method follows the pattern of a persuasive tactic. Often, if to argue a point, it is effective to acknowledge and deconstruct the opposite argument. This article’s headline postulates that the relationship between the United States and Britain will change, while the article itself makes the opposite argument; quotation after quotation indicates that Britain has no (outward) intention of altering American-British relations.
There are many reasons this formula may have been intentionally placed in the article. A headline claiming that the United States and Britain may shift their relationship catches the eye (it certainly caught mine), so this may have been a way to bring in readers. If so, it worked. Alternatively, the author may be making a deliberate statement that the media frenzy surrounding Alexander’s comments is unfounded.
There is, of course, the simple possibility that the author attempted to write an objective piece, and his/her opinion shone through the words. Maybe Britain just handled the situation well and flooded the media with the quotations they wanted to see in print.
Reading the news isn’t always as simple as it seems.
