Hvad er vinkling? En kortlægning og kvalificering af journalistikkens og retorikkens forståelse og brug af vinkling

This article-based thesis examines angle (Danish: vinkling) as a phenomenon central to both journalistic and rhetorical practice. The purpose of the dissertation is to explore journalistic and rhetorical understandings of what an angle is, with the aim of qualifying the productive and critical practice of journalism and rhetoric.

The thesis consists of three articles that explore what an angle is based on three different concepts – angle, topos and frame – and with a focus on three different actors – the journalist, the rhetorician and the citizen.

Article 1 of the dissertation examines the key journalistic term angle (Danish: vinkel). Based on a close reading of passages where the term angle appears in 30 recent Danish textbooks on journalism, four general definitions of the term are mapped: Angle in the sense of focus, point of view, claim and message. The article argues that all four understandings are part of the journalist’s practical work to find an appropriate angle to a story, and that the ambiguity of the term should therefore be maintained in order to capture the versatility of the journalistic practice. 

Article 2 of the dissertation examines the key rhetorical concept topos. Based on a mapping of different understandings of the meaning of the concept through the rhetorical tradition, a new rhetorical-topical argument model for argument invention is developed. The model integrates three different conceptualizations of the concept of topos and translates them into three steps that the rhetor can systematically go through in the process of building a persuasive argument: from finding a standpoint, to finding common ground and support. At each step in the process, the rhetor must make a reflective choice of angle. 

Article 3 of the thesis is based on the concept of frame and introduces the concept of frame-mapping. The article argues that journalistic frame-mapping is an important supplement to fact-checking, based on the recognition that the framing of political arguments has as much influence on the citizen’s opinion formation as the facts of the matter. The article conceptualizes frame-mapping as a new form of journalistic reporting that systematically captures arguers’ frames in a debate in order to empower citizens to take a critical position on them.