A Critical Discourse Analysis: The Representation of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Women in the New York Times

This Critical Discourse Analysis investigates the representation of Hillary Rodham Clinton and women in the New York Times during the presidential candidacy campaigns 2008. First, relevant aspects of social practice in the United States of America are introduced. The concept of "women" in U.S. society, prevalent gender stereotypes, the public's perception of Rodham Clinton and leadership ideals are among the facets of social practice that are dealt with in the course of this essay. This is followed by a discussion of how aspects of social practice are drawn upon and utilised in the representation of Rodham Clinton and women by the New York Times. Excerpts of an in-depth linguistic analysis carried out on the article "Clinton's Message, and Moment, Won the Day", which was published in the New York Times on 10 January 2008, are used to exemplify how the Times' represents the candidate and women in general. Besides drawing conclusions with respect to which facets of social practice the New York Times draws upon in its representation of Rodham Clinton and women, this essay also attempts to give a short insight into how the newspaper's reporting, in turn, might affect social practice with regard to "women".