"Not Rocket Science" or "No Silver Bullet"? Media and Government Discourses about MRSA and Cleanliness

Autor/inn/en	Koteyko, Nelya; Nerlich, Brigitte; Crawford, Paul; Wright, Nick
Titel	"Not Rocket Science" or "No Silver Bullet"? Media and Government Discourses about MRSA and Cleanliness
Quelle	In: Applied Linguistics, 29 (2008) 2, S.223-243 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0142-6001
DOI	10.1093/applin/amn006
Schlagwörter	Discourse Analysis; Coping; News Reporting; Political Issues; Foreign Countries; Health Promotion; Prevention; Communicable Diseases; Hygiene; Sanitation; Disease Control; Government Role; Intervention; Computational Linguistics; United Kingdom + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Diskursanalyse; Bewältigung; News report; Reportage; Politischer Faktor; Ausland; Gesundheitsfürsorge; Gesundheitshilfe; Reihenuntersuchung; Prävention; Vorbeugung; Contagious disease; Contagious diseases; Communicable disease; Infektionskrankheit; Betriebshygiene; Linguistics; Computerlinguistik; Großbritannien
Abstract	Methicillin-resistant "Staphylococcus aureus" (MRSA), commonly called a superbug, has recently been a major political issue in the UK, playing a significant role in debates over health policy in the general election held in 2005. While science recognizes the lack of evidence with regards to the effectiveness of existing measures implemented to control and prevent MRSA, the UK media coverage is dominated by articles that appeal to common sense and practical experience calling for more government interventions to combat the bug. In this paper we explore how uncertainty surrounding the origin and spread of MRSA is portrayed in debates within the media and policy-circles to particular political ends. Using established techniques of discourse analysis and corpus linguistics, we examine the assumptions, judgements, and contentions that structure two discourses of MRSA: according to one discourse MRSA is "not rocket science" and there are "simple" ways of coping with the risk of infection, whereas according to another discourse MRSA is a more complex matter and there is "no silver bullet". The analysis of different storylines through which specific ideas of "blame", "responsibility", and "urgency" are attributed helps to explain how different "constructions" of causes for the rise in MRSA emerged and led to discourses of blame and defence centred on cleanliness. (Author).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10