Can the prisoner speak? : an ideological and visual analysis of prisons in Lebanese television news -

Abstract

The following thesis examines the relationship between punishment and Lebanese television news reports. By taking Lebanese Roumieh Prison as a case study, this research employs an ideological and visual discourse analysis on television news prison stories. It explores the manifestations of the ideology of punishment within television news reports in relation to the television stations’ socio-political views. Through the framework of cultural studies, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and the critique of ideology, the analysis critically engages with the understanding of prisons as a mediated reality. This study examines the phenomenon of cellphone media production by prisoners and introduces notions of subjectivity, the gaze, and visibility to raise the question; can the prisoner speak?