Individual Claims-making in the Terri Schiavo Case

Abstract

This article uses unique data to explore individual claims-making on the Terri Schiavo case. We analyze 2,509 e-mails sent to Jeb Bush and 1,182 newspaper stories about the Schiavo case to assess how mass media, claims-makers, and individual experience affect the frames and identities used to support or oppose intervention on Terri's behalf. We find that the frames individuals use vary according to whether they support Bush's involvement in the case. In addition, we find that the frames individuals use in their claims-making do not always mirror those discussed in mass media. Specifically, the frequency with which e-mailers discuss particular ideas varies according to the engagement of claims-makers on the issue as well as the complexity of the frame. Finally, we find that some individuals do deploy identities strategically in their e-mails. Opponents of intervention, for instance, use their political identities as Republicans to urge Bush to stay out of the case. Not all identity deployment, however, corresponds with support or opposition to Bush's involvement on the Schiavo case. Individuals use their familial and religious identities to both support and oppose intervention. We conclude with a discussion of the relevance of these findings for understanding claims-making in the twenty-first century.

Another Person’s Peril: Peanut Allergy, Risk Perceptions, and Responsible Sociality

“…When social actors openly justify their grievances (however influenced) and directly challenge those of others, they reveal fault lines around tacit meaning-making about responsibility that might otherwise remain hidden. This can help us understand how individuals’ experiences, identities, and putative choices can create perceptions of public support and shape agenda-setting (Berezin and Eads 2016; Bergstrand 2014; Rohlinger et al 2015). Moreover, regulatory agencies are expected to demonstrate their rulemaking has at least attended to substantive issues raised by the public, making these kinds of comments an influential mode of public discourse (Costa, Desmarais, and Hird 2019).…”

“…Perceiving riskiness requires that risk objects, their potential severity, and the contingencies of negative outcomes can be identified and anticipated (Boholm and Corvellec 2011; Hilgartner 1992), underscoring expectations that many risks can be neutralized or reduced. Furthermore, heuristics and perceptions of risk influence political processes such as awareness-raising, mobilization, and consensus building (Auyeroet al 2019; Fabiansson and Fabiansson 2016; Vasi and King 2012), inform social policy and organizational decision-making (Heimer and Staffen 1998; Hiatt and Park 2012; Motta 2015), and play roles in public health–related information campaigns (Bell, McNaughton, and Salmon 2009; Rohlinger et al 2015; Waggoner 2017).…”