Research Catalog

Title

Write to death : news framing of the right to die conflict, from Quinlan's coma to Kevorkian's conviction / Elizabeth Atwood Gailey.

Author

Atwood-Gailey, Elizabeth.

Publication

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2003.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

x, 185 p.; 25 cm.

Summary

"Has the mainstream media been careless in reporting on the issue of euthanasia? As the Right to Die and Physician Assisted Suicide movements gather steam, the national media have been too quick to perpetuate and focus on the medical and legal overtones of death. The ethical, religious, and philosophical dimensions of our increased acceptance of euthanizing the aged, infirm, and disabled are often neglected. Gaily argues that the press's failure to enrich public discourse may well erode its trustworthiness in the public's eye." "Using examples from analysis of elite, mainstream news publications, Gailey details how the national press systematically advanced pro-euthanasia views and interpretations while marginalizing or omitting pro-life perspectives and frames. The battle over legalizing passive and active euthanasia has enormous social, economic, and ethical implications. An understanding of how the news media "frame" or, package such issues for public consumption is critical. Gailey's integrative approach combines an exploration of the major historical, ideational, and economic factors, leading to the rise of the Right to Die movement, and includes in depth analysis of the media's framing of the controversy in the two decades between Quinlan's coma to Kevorkian's conviction."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

• Euthanasia
• Euthanasia > Social aspects
• Right to die > Social aspects
• Social Conditions
• Right to Die

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. [153]-174) and index.

ISBN

0275977137 (alk. paper)

LCCN

2002037057

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries