Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse

Concentrating on different types of persuasion strategies used by medical experts and political figures, the present study aims to examine persuasion strategies in medical vs. political discourse. Four corpora of speeches and interviews of four different groups of politicians and health professional...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Mohtasham, Fatemeh Mahdavirad, Ali Akbar Jabbari, Golnar Mazdayasna
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Journalism and Media
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/34
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author Mohammad Mohtasham
Fatemeh Mahdavirad
Ali Akbar Jabbari
Golnar Mazdayasna
author_facet Mohammad Mohtasham
Fatemeh Mahdavirad
Ali Akbar Jabbari
Golnar Mazdayasna
author_sort Mohammad Mohtasham
collection DOAJ
description Concentrating on different types of persuasion strategies used by medical experts and political figures, the present study aims to examine persuasion strategies in medical vs. political discourse. Four corpora of speeches and interviews of four different groups of politicians and health professionals related to COVID-19 were selected. Two corpora belonged to Iranian figures, and two corpora represented Western figures. Then, using a framework which encompasses textual and interpersonal markers, the persuasive properties of the four corpora were investigated. The results indicated that logical markers emerge as the most frequent elements in textual subcategories of the persuasive metadiscourse observed in all four corpora. Moreover, in the case of the interpersonal subcategories, it was found that although hedges have a key role in the persuasive qualities of the texts, certainty markers appear to be largely absent within this corpus, which could suggest that the speakers are reluctant to take a stance while discussing a divisive and new issue such as COVID-19. The results provide insights into how the public’s understanding of the situation can be shaped and shifted in times of crisis, using persuasive devices by public figures.
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spelling doaj-art-8f20360cd8204e68acbf0bf7d28d85312025-08-20T02:11:11ZengMDPI AGJournalism and Media2673-51722025-02-01613410.3390/journalmedia6010034Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media DiscourseMohammad Mohtasham0Fatemeh Mahdavirad1Ali Akbar Jabbari2Golnar Mazdayasna3English Language and Literature Department, Yazd University, Yazd 8915818411, IranEnglish Language and Literature Department, Yazd University, Yazd 8915818411, IranEnglish Language and Literature Department, Yazd University, Yazd 8915818411, IranEnglish Language and Literature Department, Yazd University, Yazd 8915818411, IranConcentrating on different types of persuasion strategies used by medical experts and political figures, the present study aims to examine persuasion strategies in medical vs. political discourse. Four corpora of speeches and interviews of four different groups of politicians and health professionals related to COVID-19 were selected. Two corpora belonged to Iranian figures, and two corpora represented Western figures. Then, using a framework which encompasses textual and interpersonal markers, the persuasive properties of the four corpora were investigated. The results indicated that logical markers emerge as the most frequent elements in textual subcategories of the persuasive metadiscourse observed in all four corpora. Moreover, in the case of the interpersonal subcategories, it was found that although hedges have a key role in the persuasive qualities of the texts, certainty markers appear to be largely absent within this corpus, which could suggest that the speakers are reluctant to take a stance while discussing a divisive and new issue such as COVID-19. The results provide insights into how the public’s understanding of the situation can be shaped and shifted in times of crisis, using persuasive devices by public figures.https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/34COVID-19health professionalsmedia discoursepersuasive metadiscoursepoliticians
spellingShingle Mohammad Mohtasham
Fatemeh Mahdavirad
Ali Akbar Jabbari
Golnar Mazdayasna
Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
Journalism and Media
COVID-19
health professionals
media discourse
persuasive metadiscourse
politicians
title Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
title_full Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
title_fullStr Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
title_full_unstemmed Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
title_short Persuasion Strategies Used by Medical Experts vs. Political Figures: A Study of Coronavirus-Related Media Discourse
title_sort persuasion strategies used by medical experts vs political figures a study of coronavirus related media discourse
topic COVID-19
health professionals
media discourse
persuasive metadiscourse
politicians
url https://www.mdpi.com/2673-5172/6/1/34
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