Social Problems as Landmark Narratives: Bank of Boston, Mass Media and "Money Laundering"

The paper examines how claimsmakers selectively construct instances of alleged problems as “landmark narratives,” with particular attention to the rhetorical practices of mass print media. The analysis shows how currency reporting violations at the Bank of Boston became synonymous with “money laundering,” and how official claimsmakers exploited the case to produce a wave of similar violations, thereby creating a warrant for new policies.