Video, Politics, and Applied Semiotics: Constructing Meaning from Broadcast News

This paper examines the relationship between verbal and visual semiotic cues by analyzing how semiotic cues position speakers interactionally and communicate implicit evaluative messages in one television news story. The paper summarizes an analysis of this news story that my collaborator and I have done based solely on verbal cues (Wortham & Locher, 1996). Then the paper analyzes the visual cues that accompany this television news report. The research question is: Do the visual cues contribute to the interactional positioning accomplished by the verbal cues? The analysis shows that visual cues in this case both reinforce the interactional positioning that gets done by verbal cues and create a pattern of interactional positioning that is independent of the verbal cues. Comments Reprinted from International Journal of Applied Semiotics, Volume 2, Issue 1-2, 2000, pages 131-141. Publisher URL: http://www.atwoodpublishing.com/journals/journal.htm This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/72 Video, Pol i tics, and Ap plied Semiotics: Con structing Mean ing from Broad cast News Stanton Wortham Uni ver sity of Penn syl va nia Ab stract: This pa per ex am ines the re la tion ship be tween ver bal and vi sual semiotic cues by an a lyz ing how semiotic cues po si tion speak ers interactionally and com mu ni cate im plicit evaluative mes sages in one tele vi sion news story. The pa per sum ma rizes an anal y sis of this news story that my col lab o ra tor and I have done based solely on ver bal cues (Wortham & Locher, 1996). Then the pa per an a lyzes the vi sual cues that ac com pany this tele vi sion news re port. The re search ques tion is: Do the vi sual cues con trib ute to the interactional po si tion ing ac com plished by the ver bal cues? The anal y sis shows that vi sual cues in this case both re in force the interactional po si tion ing that gets done by ver bal cues and cre ate a pat tern of interactional po si tion ing that is in de pend ent of the ver bal cues.