Gossip as a Discursive Practice

Power, Identity, and Exclusion in the Case of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding

Abstract

Through discursive semiotic analysis, as introduced by Fontanille, this article investigates the impact of gossip discourse on the construction of belonging and exclusion, as well as its role as a discursive practice in contemporary communities. The study focuses on two headlines published by the New York Daily News covering the 1994 national broadcast incident in which figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was physically attacked. Responsibility was attributed to fellow skater Tonya Harding, largely fueled by rumors and rivalries circulating at the time. The aim is to examine how these headlines framed the event, considering the discursive, visual, and narrative elements that contributed to shaping the public images of those involved.