The Catholic Weekly 19 April 2020

catholicweekly.com.au 13 19, April, 2020 FEATURE NSW Police talk with Cardinal Pell as he arrives at the Seminary of the Good Shepherd on 8 April. PHOTO: CNS, BIANCA DE MARCHI,AAP IMAGES VIA REUTERS Cardinal Pell arrives at the County Court in Melbourne in February 2019. PHOTO: CNS PHOTO/DANIEL POCKETT,AAP IMAGES VIA REUTERS Understanding how journalists prime and frame stories is key to understanding how powerfully the media shapes perceptions How the media primes and frames “TALKING UP” was Professor Greg Craven’s heartfelt claim against the Australian Broad- casting Corporation and Aus- tralian media generally in an interview with journalist Ka- rin Carvalho, a journalist with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) “Stating facts” was Ms Car- valho’s reply. Professor Craven, Vice Chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, was inter- viewed by the ABC on 8 April about the Australian High Court decision to overturn convictions against Cardinal George Pell. Ms Carvalho, visibly irate, went further and set what is called a rhetorical trap for Professor Craven - “do you have sympathy for the accus- er?” Professor Craven, of course, could not contradict the prin- ciple underlying the question. Professor Craven and Ms Carvalho may not be aware of framing and priming tech- niques and specific rhetorical devices deployed in news, but those techniques and devices create the lens through which readers and viewers interpret events. A media frame consists of images, words and phrases, at base, that are chosen by an author-journalist to report on a particular topic or issue, making salient a perceived reality. A frame can activate specif- ic schema in our minds. This is called priming. In- dividual words and images, of course, can prime readers or viewers. The word “socialist” for ex- ample became an important priming word in the Demo- cratic primaries in the United States. Bernie Sanders said he is a “democratic socialist” and not a “socialist” or “communist”, shifting the focus to “demo- cratic”. Another example from the United States is established media frames on successful sports stars. In the example below, a picture of the sports star play- ing baseball is provided in a story about charges against him for physical child abuse against his daughter. The story ends, “Hamilton was the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2010 when he hit a league-lead- ing 359 for the Texas Rangers while adding 32 home runs and 100 RBIs.” Given the nature of the charge, the story is remarka- bly positive. Media frames and priming words can also become estab- lished over time. Cardinal Pell’s media frame for most of this cen- tury was never close to the positive sports media accu- sation-arrest-trial-conviction frames in the United States. Phrases such as “Pell sup- porters” are used as part of negative discourses. A Newcastle Herald head- line “Pell backers clash with ‘angry’ protester”, as one ex- ample, conveys the idea of violence against those pro- testing against Cardinal Pell, with ‘angry’ bracketed by the journalist for some reason; a downplayer or proof surro- gate as a rhetorical device. The actual story is that Car- dinal Pell’s supporters sang hymns outside court and, according to the journalist, ‘yelled’ for Cardinal Pell to be forgiven. The journalist says that Cardinal Pell supporters tried to block a Mr Advocate from speaking to the media, but there is no evidence provided and no violence recorded. Pell’s supporters, “yelling”, “clash”, “angry” are all prim- ing words. When Professor Craven talked to Karin Cavalho both of them joined a media frame(s) built up over time. Ms Cavalho was never go- ing to finish her story with, “Cardinal Pell is author of Contemplating Christ with Luke ” and “Professor Craven is author of Australian Fed- eration: Towards the second century .” Media frames can, of course, change, just as indi- vidual schema can change. It is never healthy to have me- dia frames that are extreme. Dr Mark Balnaves is adjunct Research Fellow at the Uni- versity of Notre Dame and a freelance journalist. An example of priming and framing: a major baseball league star in the US is portrayed for his val- uable contribution to a popular sport in a story reporting him being charged with child abuse. No Catholic could ever expect such positive treatment from the media. PHOTO:THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS Amedia frame consists of images, words and phrases, at base, that are chosen by an author-jour- nalist to report on a particular topic or issue, making salient a perceived reality.” Dr Mark Balnaves