Page 222 - Communication and Citizenship Journalism and the Public Sphere

THE GLOBAL NEWSROOM 211

consummate politician who made the conference possible, but Sakharov
implicitly is the superior of the two. Sakharov becomes the symbol not
only of Gorbachev’s achievements but, by personal contrast, of the
differences between the two. Clearly, Gorbachev is no Sakharov.
In addition to being a foil to Gorbachev, the focus on Sakharov is
crucial in how it mediates the story. Like Begun, Sakharov functions as
an instrument of the narrative’s aim of distrusting Gorbachev’s
intentions. Both Sakharov and Begun play the same narrative function.
They are thematically equivalent. They serve to invoke another staple of
American narratives of the Soviet Union, namely, the representation of
opposition to communism and to the Soviet government by a heroic and
creative person, to whom is attributed the essentially American notion
of the commitment to freedom and democracy. At an even more
fundamental level it might be argued that Sakharov also represents the
fundamental American empowerment of the individual, who single-
handedly, heroically, fights oppression and big government.
The ABC story is briefer than the two other American stories, but
thematically it echoed their concerns. Sakharov and Begun are
presented midway through the narrative, immediately after Gorbachev
has said his piece. The story ends by attesting that the ‘public figures
attending…were impressed by the new Soviet thinking, but there were
skeptics’. The story does not make clear, however, who those skeptics
were.
We turn now to the two British stories. Unlike their US counterparts,
both British stories are essentially appreciative of Gorbachev’s policies
and of his leadership, and critical of the American response. According
to ABC, Gorbachev ‘renewed a plea for an end to the arms race’. In
contrast, the BBC begins its story with the statement: ‘Mr Gorbachev
has accused the United States of making a secret move at the Geneva
arms talks which, if true, breaks a promise made to both the American
congress and the NATO alliance.’ The reference to the scrapping of the
ABM treaty is framed in bold, accusatory terms against the United
States. In the American stories the ABM accusations were given little or
no play.
The focus on America’s role in the arms race serves as the lead-in for
the two intertwined themes in the narrative of the British stories.
Gorbachev’s efforts—the dominant element in the story—are portrayed
approvingly, in contrast to the skepticism and distrust in the American
stories. The other theme—criticism of the Reagan administration—does
not even feature in the American stories. The treatment of the issue of
arms control and ‘star wars’ encapsulates both themes. In the BBC