From behind the Walls: Boundary Work by News Organizations in Their Coverage of Princess Diana's Death

Abstract

The untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales, on 31 August 1997 gave journalists from mainstream news organizations a prime opportunity to publicly distance themselves from the freelance photographers, or paparazzi, who allegedly chased Diana's car into a Paris tunnel. Journalists went to great lengths in their coverage of the accident to build boundaries between themselves and the paparazzi (and tabloid publications), boundaries damaged in recent years by the public's purportedly insatiable desire for celebrity news (now a staple of mainstream news) and the willingness of mainstream news organizations to satisfy that desire by borrowing and adapting elements of the tabloid style. This article is a textual analysis of how mainstream journalists built and defended professional boundaries in the week following Diana's death. This research explores the tone of coverage and the theme that emerged as journalists from major daily newspapers, news magazines, commercial television networks, and cable news services struggled to keep their readers and viewers aware that the paparazzi, and British and American tabloids, did not practice journalism with the same level of professionalism. The coverage of Diana's death suggests a change in how journalists show their dedication to ideals like objectivity and balanced reporting. What is revealed is a new, somewhat disingenuous public discourse about the practice of journalism achieved through a boundary maintenance exercise.