Representation of Thailand’s Sex Workers in Online English News Reports
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Abstract
Although many countries have attempted to address policies to legalize sex work, it is illegal and unacceptable in Thai society despite its contributions to the economy with an estimated number of one million sex workers in 2021. Since media play a significant role in delivering and shaping public opinions, the objectives of the present study are to investigate the linguistic strategies and the representation of Thailand’s sex workers in online English news reports. The data consisted of 54 news reports selected from Bangkok Post and The Nation Thailand in 2021 and 2022. The study employed Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis model (1995), a presupposition trigger model, and representational strategies as the main frameworks. Existential presuppositions were the most common, emphasizing the presence of entertainment industries over individual entities. In representational strategies, collectivization was the most frequently employed strategy signifying that sex workers were frequently referred to as a collectivized group as in massage parlor and entertainment venues. This collectivization implies that sex workers in Thailand were portrayed in the news as an industry rather than as individuals, as a problematic group, and as an agent who seeks freedom and rights. These three representations suggest that negative stereotypes of sex workers prevail Thai society, resulting in social nonacceptance and legal discrimination.
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