News media, power, and representation. A case study: reporting Chechnya
Authors
Furlong, Mark
Issue Date
2007
Degree
BA (Hons) Arts
Publisher
Dublin Business School
Rights holder
Rights
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Abstract
The purpose of this study is to analysis American newspaper coverage of the conflict in Chechnya. The study is conducted during a fundamental shift in American foreign policy. A content analysis will be conducted to see if these profound changes have an impact on The New York Times coverage of this conflict and its two main protagonists these being Chechnya and Russia. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, the symbols of American economic and military power, a new and powerful interpretation of world order began to emerge, conceptualized and announced by the United States executive and propagated by much of the world’s media, this interpretation was encapsulated in the New 'War on Terror' framework, this framework had similarities to the 'Cold War' framework. The main function of the 'Cold War' framework has been described as allowing ‘American politicians and journalists to construct a narrative to make sense of diverse stories about international security, civil wars, and global conflicts’ (Norris, Kern & Just 2003 : 12). It divided America, internally into patriots and deviants, and the rest of the world into those who support the United States, democracy, and human rights and those who support Communism. The purpose of this study is to examine the limits of the power of this new 'War on Terror' framework to redraw the boundaries of world affairs.