Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Pit Bull's Discourse: An Examination Of Discursive Construction, Karen Jennings

Bridges: A Journal of Student Research

Since the early 1980s, news reporters have used the pit bull as a scapegoat to get media attention by plastering the frightening image of a snarling, bloody dog across all news outlets. Over the years, the pit bull's image has suffered major blows to its already battered reputation with every new "dog attack" news story published. Each reporter's word choice, in both past and present news stories, has an effect on the reader's perception of the topic. By analyzing several unrelated stories about pit bulls, both good and bad, I reveal how word choice alone shapes a reader's perception while …