Both Sides of the Coin A Discourse-Analytical Study of Ideologies in Fox News and CNN Coverage of Terrorism and Conflicts.

Abstract

This study is based on a corpus of Fox News and CNN articles on terrorism and conflict, comparing ideological traits – that is, biases and dominant attitudes – and their conveyance in the text. The study finds that although some ideologies, primarily the ones of positive portrayal of the US and negative portrayal of other countries, tend to be conveyed in a subtler manner in CNN, both news providers show certain ideological biases, of which some appear to be “naturalized” (Van Dijk 1991:33), i.e. appear to be “accepted truths” for news providers, and some considerably more evident in one or the other. Multiple conclusions are reached: both outlets minimize negative agency and emphasize the positives for the US and give American officials more space than any others in the articles. Both outlets also have a very negative, portrayal of North Korea as a defiant, unreliable nation. Finally, Fox News has a considerably more negative portrayal of Islam and Muslims than CNN, in that positive agency is minimized and negative agency emphasized, and negatively perceived groups are specifically identified as Islamic.