Funktionen von Unsicherheitsthematisierungen in journalistischen Medien

Abstract

Theoretical and methodological approaches of discourse analysis in the wake of Foucaultfocus on how knowledge is constituted in discourses. They are therefore well suited forinvestigating the epistemic status of knowledge, and thus also uncertain knowledge and ignorance.However, discourse research does not offer specialized analytical approaches to media discourseswith their specific boundary conditions and inherent logics, while at the same time inpractice many analyses deal with media products. Some writers even bemoan a “media oblivion”in discourse theory. This article aims to demonstrate how theoretical approaches in communicationstudies can help to specify the role of journalists as discourse producers and participants,as well as journalistic production principles. In the empirical part of the article, the scientificallyambiguous knowledge about burnout is used as an example to show ten discursive-communicativefunctions that the thematization of epistemic uncertainty can have in journalistic articles.