Search results for "Van Leeuwen"

(De)legitimating electronic surveillance : a critical discourse analysis of the Finnish news coverage of the Edward Snowden revelations

2017

In 2013, ex-National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden shocked the world by revealing the American NSA’s (and its partners’) extensive surveillance programs. The ensuing media discussion became a focal point for the justification and contestation of surveillance in the digital age. This article contributes to the growing body of literature on the discursive construction of surveillance, concentrating on how the practice is (de)legitimized. Methodologically, the paper draws on Critical Discourse Studies, applying the concept of discourse and utilizing insights from Van Leeuwen’s categories of legitimation and social actor representation. The data come from the media coverage of…