Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2001

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Scodari, Christine

Abstract

This study examines the coverage of an event that took place mostly in Miami, Florida and was reported on by The Miami Herald for more than six months. There are several issues that are addressed in this thesis. The primary hypothesis of this analysis is that the coverage of the Elian Gonzalez custody battle as it appeared in The Miami Herald uses the same narrative techniques as those used in fictional melodrama or soap operas. John Fiske's theory of melodrama as developed from Brown (1987) and a similar model used by Fiske (1987) is used to compare the specified piece of news coverage with generic soap opera narrative elements. The historical and political backgrounds of the Miami-Cuban community are integral factors in this news phenomenon---their roles in this controversy are thoroughly analyzed. Serious implications occurred as a result of this coverage; they are discussed in the conclusion of this thesis.

Extent

153 p.

Comments

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2001.|Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Identifier

FADT12808

Format

pdf

Download

Share

COinS