Fox News, CNN, and Al Jazeera: Language of terrorism coverage

Abstract

The relationship between media and terrorism changed dramatically after September 11. The two entered a “symbiotic” relationship and now help each other reach mass audiences. Various media outlets publish dozens of reports about terrorism daily. Terrorism is a systemic phenomenon. Depending on what kinds of violence are considered systemic, the definition of terrorism fluctuates. English-language media seem to agree that September 11, the Boston Marathon bombing and bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester are all acts of terror. But what about a bombing in Mosul by the US troops, in which over a hundred Afghan civilians died? Why has a stabbing in Hamburg, perpetrated by a Muslim man, been called a terrorist attack while the Portland stabbing perpetrated by a white American has not. Are mass shootings in the US systemic? The definition of terrorism is contextual, and media with different political orientations have different definitions of this phenomenon. This study examines the language used by Fox News, CNN and Al Jazeera in their reports on terrorism. In regards to terrorism, the language of media is conservative and cautious. The word terror is mostly used to describe violent offenses in which white people fall victims of Muslim folks which furthers Islamophobia in the US and ignores other forms of systemic violence.