Media agenda-building battles between Greenpeace and Shell : a rhetorical and discursive approach

Bakir, Tamara Vian

Abstract

The empirical focus of this research comprises the UK television news battles between Greenpeace (a highly media-aware International Non-Governmental Organisation (INGO)), and the oil company Shell (a multinational corporation (MNC)). Specifically, two such media battles are examined, both receiving international attention and intense media publicity during 1995:

- The battle between Royal Dutch/Shell, particularly, its subsidiary Shell-UK, and Greenpeace over the deep-sea disposal of the Brent Spar oil platform;

- The battle between Royal Dutch/Shell's Nigerian subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Corporation (SPDC) (hereafter referred to as Shell-Nigeria), and Greenpeace (amongst others) over environmental pollution in Ogoniland, Nigeria.

These two battles were chosen mainly because they share the same main protagonists - Greenpeace and Shell - providing rich material for a number of interesting questions regarding media agenda-building.

Citation

Bakir, T. V. Media agenda-building battles between Greenpeace and Shell : a rhetorical and discursive approach. (Thesis). University of Hull. https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212144

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Apr 3, 2012
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 22, 2023
• Keywords: European Studies
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4212144
• Additional Information: Department of European Studies, The University of Hull
• Award Date: May 1, 2001