MEDIA DISCOURSE AND AD HOMINEM COMMUNICATION IN TV DISCUSSIONS

Abstract

Television talk shows often present a mix of well-reasoned and baseless debates,showcasing diverse communication styles. The way individual attitudes are articulatedcan highlight instances where the speaker employs communication tools ofmanipulations. This study focuses on the presentation of arguments, specifically theconveyance of informative and persuasive functions pertaining to a range of political,economic, social, and personal topics. The objective is to identify instances of adhominem communication, determine the target audience of such communication, andanalyze the communication context and potential repercussions. Ad hominemcommunication arises when the speaker references an individual, using the argument totarget that person directly, thereby implicitly or explicitly undermining their credibility.This form of ad hominem is frequently observed in political discourse and competitivedialogues in general. For this research analytical matrix were employed as research toolsin order to conduct a qualitative content analysis of ad hominem communication inrelation to political, social, economic, and personal topics. The aim of this study is tointroduce a model for analyzing communication styles based on a specific tool designedto shape perceptions of others or oneself. This model's implications are demonstratedthrough an analysis of a random sample from two episodes of the Croatian RadioTelevision's Sunday talk shows, which rank among the most-watched talk shows onCroatian national television. The episodes were chosen using a random numberalgorithm. The findings reveal the instances and manners in which speakers in thesampled episodes employ the ad hominem communication.