The mass media of communication are often singled out as an important locus of identity and hegemonic construction. This is especially true for studies that employ a discursively centred approach. Teun van Dijk, a leading scholar of CDA, for example notes that, while most elite discourse is restricted to small circles, ‘Mass circulation and sharing among the ingroup of ethnic prejudices and ideologies presuppose mass communication, that is, expression or (re)production in the mass media’ (1989: 203). Certainly the mass media must be seen one of the most prominent sources of discursive articulation in modern societies. Quite simply, the mass media possess enormous coverage and outreach and media messages can reach millions of people almost instantly. This effectively means that the words, images, and depictions (‘texts’) of the mass media are potentially integral to the formation of any collective social identities that may be accepted by the public at large. It was for this reason that Benedict Anderson cites the emergence of the printing press and the subsequent proliferation of what he terms ‘print capitalism’ as one of the most important factors leading to the formation of the modern nation state, and the formation of collective identities on a national scale (2006: 44).

This research is premised on an understanding that in modern societies media have a potentially important role in constructing and propagating collective identities. George Gerbner (1985), for example, argues that mass communication has the macrosociological function of creating its own publics and providing a sense of common identity. For Gerbner understanding culture, which he defines as ‘a system of messages that regulates social relationships’ (1985: 14), is essential for an understanding of media influence. Culture regulates social relationships, he suggests, by providing a framework of possible actions:

It would be almost impossible for particular discourses to function at a collective level without the intercession of media dissemination.