Diatexts of Media Dilemmas. The rhetorical construction of euthanasia

In the post-modern era the global conscience has to deal with various dilemmas, which are made more complex by media interaction. These issues mostly pertain to the bio-ethical sphere of the human experience, i.e. the discursive sphere linked to the necessity to overcome any interpretative routine of marked separation between “public” and “private”. Such issues lead to the expression of the most “intimate” aspirations (such as the right to be born and to die) to be confronted with different discursive regimes of citizenship. A specific effect of such an enunciative claim can be seen in the social debate upon euthanasia recently hosted by the media, since through subtle argumentative strategies it focuses on different interpretative repertoires of the dignity of human life. The present paper aims to describe and discuss the results of a qualitative study, the aim of which is to investigate certain discursive segments of the “dialogue upon euthanasia”, collected from the Italian media (press, television and internet). Diatextual analysis has been adopted as a methodological tool to highlight the recurrence of specific rhetorical assets of both pro and contra positions.