Articulation theory and public controversy: Taking sides overNYPD Blue

This study suggests a new academic perspective for investigating the nature of mass mediated public controversies. As issues of public interest gain exposure in the media, it becomes necessary to explore the complex network of relationships that emerge in the struggle for of consensus. Traditionally, public controversy has been approached from agenda‐setting, political economy and rhetorical perspectives. This study suggests a mode of analysis based Stuart Hall's theory of articulation which is appropriated to help identify the empowering associations that are made between the individuals and groups participating in the 1993 controversy over the embattled television program NYPD Blue, and the ideological social forces circulating within the context of this debate. Exploration of the non‐necessary and contradictory relationships that emerged in this controversy reveals how ostensibly innocuous issues are often related to larger socio‐political movements.