The Discursive Construction of Power Relations in La Presse Editorials: The Case of Doctors and Nurses
Through a thematic analysis of La Presse editorials over an almost 35-year period, from 1980 to 2015, we show how, in Quebec, a discourse has gradually been constructed advocating an increase in the remuneration of medical doctors even though, at the same time, nurses have received different treatment. Our analysis is a continuation of research on the factors that have influenced the evolution of worker remuneration since the 1980s. Our objective in this article is to determine whether the balance of power between these two worker categories has deteriorated or has been reinforced on a narrative level, thanks to the picture painted by La Presse, which is one of the most widely read daily newspapers in Quebec. Until the beginning of the 2000s, doctors were described and treated in the same way as other workers, especially nurses. That is to say, their demands relating to wages or working conditions were negatively portrayed by editorialists. However, since the beginning of this century, there has been a discursive change that now justifies remuneration increases for members of this profession, a discourse based on the argument for the need to catch up with the rest of Canada. Hence, as part of a thematic analysis, the data relating to medical doctors’ remuneration are compared to the increase in the salaries of nurses, which did not benefit from such a treatment and are subject to a devaluation associated with the gendered representation of their work. Finally, this research contributes to a better understanding of media discourse as a reflection and driver of power relations between social categories that benefit from unequal privilege. Our study also illustrates the different treatment of two groups of health professionals.