This article provides the theoretical framework of cultural sociology to position arguments on the effects and power of the media in a symbolic dimension that transcends the division between the functionalist and critical theories of the effects of the media. These theories presuppose the «materiality» of media practices which should be replaced by a more narrative concept of the news. Drawing on the field of narrative studies, cultural sociology of the media demonstrates how an analogy can be drawn between journalist discourses and narrative ones. After introducing this symbolic-narrative perspective, the study shows the application of these categories to the interpretation of a news story: the racist attack on a Barcelona train in October 2007.
