Framing as a theory
of communication in the news media has received much attention and
coverage from scholars since its inception by Erving Goffman (1974).
A paradigm shift in framing studies has only recently occurred,
however, as scholars are increasingly looking at the importance,
salience, and enduring-power of visuals to complement and amplify the
effects of verbal statements. Though there have been scholars engaged
in visual framing studies (i.e., Abraham & Appiah, 2006; Borah,
2009; Brantner, Lobinger, & Wetzstein, 2011; Frosh, 2011; Geske &
Brown, 2008; Lake & Pickering, 1998; Mullen, 1997; Parry, 2011),
an article published last year highlights the disjointed nature of
these inquiries and proposes a systematic method for analyzing and
interpreting such use of visuals as a framing device (Rodriguez &
Dimitrova, 2011). My review of this article will highlight the
usefulness of the proposed method as evidenced by my use of the
method for my final paper in Media and Politics at USC with Dr. Tom
Hollihan analyzing the covers of TIME Magazine and their
representation of international leaders and domestic figures during
times of global conflict.
Rodriguez and
Dimitrova (2011) begin by outlining modern framing literature and the
steps that scholars have taken to incorporate visual framing into
their analyses. Describing current visual framing studies as lacking
“conceptual and methodological consistency, Rodriguez and Dimitrova
outline a four-step process which I have adopted to test its benefits
and drawbacks (2011). For the sake of brevity, I have included here
one image to illustrate the process.
Here is an image of
General MacArthur during World War II which is included in my larger
paper analysis and will be the example for this post. The first step
of the process is to describe in full what is in the image from the
foreground, background, large items, and small detail. The second
step is to describe stylistic features such as the use of color,
size, camera angle, visual effects, and manipulation within the
image. Level three interprets symbols and objects in the image for
meanings. The final level creates an overarching and coherent
narrative and interpretation of the image by combining description,
stylistic elements, and symbolism.
Though this is a
simple process, its clear outline and distinctive steps provides more
comparative analysis between scholars than merely a description of
the image or another interpretation with less structure. Although I
believe this simplicity might leave some important aspects of the
visual framing process lacking, this process was sufficient in
providing the framework for the analysis of the TIME Magazine covers
for my paper. Before I outline some possible areas of improvement,
here is the analysis of General MacArthur's cover as interpreted
using Rodriguez and Drimitrova's process (2011).
The
cover image shows a drawn picture of General MacArthur
in full military attire from the shoulders up looking off to the
left. MacArthur
is
standing
before
a
flag,
which
has
a
blue
background
with
a
red
circle
in
the
middle
with white
stars
circling
it
and
slightly
puncturing
its edges.
His expression is one of determination and focus as he is framed by
the large background of the flag. The image color scheme is that of
red, white, and blue, patriotic colors framing the large and
centrally featured military figure. MacArthur's
flag
symbolizes
America
with
its
blue
background
and
white
stars
wounding
and
attacking
the
red
dot
of
the
Japanese
flag
in its center.
His appearance in the front of the image from the shoulders up may
symbolize his disposition as a statue, unwavering and strong.
MacArthur
is
represented as a powerful, patriotic American leader and military
commander who has surrounded Japan with American military might and
has damaged the enemy, perhaps to the point of incapacitation.
Unworried about the scene behind him, MacArthur is looking towards
the future, perhaps to the next battle to be won or foe to be
defeated.
This process
provides a consistent description as featured above to which I
compared all of the cover images selected for the paper across
various conflicts, time periods, and geographic representations. One
benefit of this model is thus the ability to compare images across
different spaces and with different origins to one another to elicit
overall patterns and schema of portrayal. Although I used only TIME
covers, this process could be used to compare images from different
publications, media, and sources.
The detriment I
find to this method is the lack of what I believe is a necessary
fifth stage. The description focuses solely on the image itself and
loses much symbolic and interpretive value that could be gleaned from
contextualization. I would add a fifth layer to this process by also
encouraging scholars to contextualize the image, interrogate its
source and purpose for being used, as well as possible historical
significance, temporal events relevance, and the creator's background
and agenda. Included in this fifth stage would also be insights into
the political economy of the news media and how that influences image
selection and manipulation.
For
example, pro-life and pro-choice groups may use the same image of
pregnant woman to advocate for their position, but without
contextualizing the group and its message, the interpretations would
be the same from Rodriguez and Dimitrova's process. Additionally,
viewing an image of George W. Bush's “mission accomplished”
picture may be interpreted as a patriotic, military celebration of a
war's success. But knowledge of the Iraq War and its specific staging
as a propaganda device (Hollihan, 2008) creates a more accurate and
inclusion interpretation of the image as a comical public relations
attempt to commemorate a failed invasion based on fabrication that
led to scandal and mockery in the media.
These are just a
few examples of when an image's source can be just as important as
the image content, which is why I would offer its inclusion in
importance to contemporary scholars who are interested in studying
the power of visual framing.
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