Mother as Mother and Mother as Citizen: Mothers of Combat Soldiers on National Network News

Authors

Karen L. Slattery, Marquette UniversityFollow
Ana C. Garner, Marquette UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Language

eng

Format of Original

16 p.

Publication Date

1-2012

Publisher

SAGE Publications

Source Publication

Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism

Source ISSN

1741-3001

Original Item ID

doi: 10.1177/1464884911420778

Abstract

This study examines national television news images of mothers of US combat soldiers during the first seven years of the Iraq War. News stories presented mothers as archetypal good mothers engaged in maternal work long after their children’s deployment. Some mothers were depicted as vocal vis-à-vis their position on the Iraq War, a contrast to the historical depiction of the archetypal patriotic mother who is stoic and silent. The resulting image is more complex, suggesting the boundaries of the archetype may be changing.

Comments

Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism, Vol. 13, No. 1 (January 2012): 87-102. DOI.

Recommended Citation

Slattery, Karen L. and Garner, Ana C., "Mother as Mother and Mother as Citizen: Mothers of Combat Soldiers on National Network News" (2012). College of Communication Faculty Research and Publications. 245.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/comm_fac/245