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Title:
Shifting Securities: Television News Cultures Before and After the Iraq War, 2003-2005
(Shifting Securities: News Cultures Before and Beyond the Iraq Crisis 2003)

Subject Categories:
Mass media - Media, communication and language
Race relations - Society and culture
Religion and values - Society and culture
Ethnic minorities - Social stratification and groupings

Depositor(s):
Gillespie, M., Open University. Faculty of Social Sciences

Principal Investigator(s):
Gillespie, M., Open University. Faculty of Social Sciences

Sponsor(s):
Economic and Social Research Council

Grant Number:
RES-223-25-0063

Abstract:
This qualitative dataset examines changing relationships between government, media and multicultural publics in the UK.

The Iraq War 2003 and subsequent events raise questions about the impact of security policy on civil liberties and human rights, democratic participation and citizenship, racialisation and securitization.

Through the analysis of "security salient discourse", the study sought to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an increasingly mediated democracy. Specifically, the project examines how changing practices of news production in an increasingly competitive transnational news environment affect the quality of political journalism and judgements about the legitimacy, credibility, ethics and salience of "security" policy. It connects and articulates the empirical study of news audiences; analyses events and news stories defined as "security salient" by audiences and the judgements of media and political professionals about the stories and the political-media-security nexus.

In depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted in 175 interviews and focus groups with news audiences and citizens living in socially and culturally diverse milieu across the British Isles and New York, USA to assess shifting senses of social and national (in)security in relation to specific events, such as the London bombings of July 7, 2005. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups were undertaken with news makers and producers, government, military and security policymakers, and security experts. They were interviewed about the mediation of those events, addressing issues raised in the audience research.

Further information can be found at the project website or ESRC award page.

Main Topics:
Topics covered in the interviews include security, news, multiculturalism, citizenship, legitimacy.

Coverage:
Time Period Covered: 2003-2008
Dates of Fieldwork: 2003-2007
Country: India; Ireland; United Kingdom; United States
Geography: Belfast; Bradford; Cardiff; Edinburgh; Keighley; London; Mumbai; New York; Oldham; Oxford; Slough; Swansea; Nelson; Berkshire; Lancashire; New York State; Oxfordshire; South Wales; Surrey; Yorkshire
Spatial Units: No spatial unit
Observation Units: Individuals; Families/households; Groups
Kind of Data: Textual data

Universe Sampled:
Location of Units of Observation:Cross-national
Population:News viewers; news makers and security policy-makers.

Methodology:
Time Dimensions: Cross-sectional (one-time) study
Sampling Procedures: Volunteer sample
Number of Units: 75 semi-structured interview transcripts, 100 focus group transcripts.
Method of Data Collection: Face-to-face interview; Telephone interview; Focus group
Weighting: No weighting used

Language(s) of Written Materials:
Study Description: English
Study Documentation: English

Access:
Access Conditions: The depositor has specified that registration is required and standard conditions of use apply. The depositor may be informed about usage. See terms and conditions for further information.
Availability: ESDS Qualidata, UK Data Archive
Contact: Help desk: qualidata@esds.ac.uk

Date of Release:
First Edition: 24 June 2009

Copyright:
Copyright M. Gillespie, J. Gow, A. Hoskins, B. O'Loughlin

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