ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the components and dimensions of the analytical model for the exploration of the processes of inter- and intra-legitimation between journalists and their sources, drawing from critical discourse analysis and cultural studies approaches. The model that is developed, comprehending discourse as practice, incorporates the examination of legitimation discourse through the prism of the factual/narrative logic of news,as examined in three interrelated areas: (a) the systematic analysis of news texts focussing on the presence of news sources, (b) the analysis of the journalistic practices that relate to the construction of these news texts, and (c) the contextualisation of the analysis in its specific socio-political environment. This approach allows the professional, cultural and ideological dimensions of legitimation to be highlighted. This chapter gives also a brief account of the research methods employed, of the empirical material, and of the analytical process.
