Attitude to Racism as Reflected in British Press, Has It Changed? : The Appraisal Model

Abstract

In their coverage of the relationship between Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, the news of their engagement and the royal marriage, British newspapers exhibited a range of different responses, from fascination and approval to absolute criticism. On one hand, some newspapers demonstrated disparaging reactions which emphasized the fact that entrenched racism may not change in the British society. On the other hand, further British newspapers viewed the marriage of Prince Harry to a biracial American divorceeas proof that Britain has become more egalitarian, inclusive, and diverse. Therefore, the present study aims to analyse via the application of the Appraisal Model, as a theoretical framework, the racist attitude as might be reflected in eight different British newspapers with regard to the new Duchess of Sussex who has recently become a controversial figure. The study demonstrates whether the embedded attitude to racism in the British society has changed or been sustained. Attitude to racism is examined through the analysis of varied emotional reactions, judgement of behaviours and evaluation of entities. The discourse semantic structures utilized in the sample newspaper articles prove that the British society continues to embody the traditional idea of identity and that the marriage episode, though evidences change, fails to conceal its real picture.