Framing the news on the Syrian War: A comparative study of antiwar.com and cnn.com editorials

Abstract

This study identifies the dominant frames presented in opinion articles published from 20 August to 17 September 2013 on the alternative website – antiwar.com – and the mainstream website – cnn.com; this timeframe includes articles published a week before and a week after the US administration’s decision to attack and withdraw from Syria. The article employs qualitative content analysis and Entman’s framing theory to code the data and extract the themes and dominant frames present in a total of 87 opinion articles. The study concludes that cnn.com provided frames that presented Bashar al-Assad as a ‘brutal villain’ who uses chemical weapons on his own people, while providing frames that stress Barack Obama’s incompetency in carrying out a strategic plan and highlight the negative consequences of a strike. However, antiwar.com articles are more resonant and consistent than cnn.com articles, and provide frames that encourage readers to protest against engaging in another war, reminding them of the failures of similar past wars such as the Iraq War and its negative consequences, as well as stressing the major players that benefited from a military intervention.

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“…On the other hand, Hayes and Guardino (2010), when analysing editions of all ABC, CBS and NBC stations’ evening newscasts on Iraq eight months before the 2003 US invasion, indicated that the media assisted the Bush administration in its march to war without a wide-ranging debate that included diverse analysis and commentary on the issue. In contrast, a study conducted by Alitavoli (2020) revealed how the ideological bias of news producers affected news frames on the Syrian war in 2013.…”

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“…There is an abundance of literature on the effect of framing, as well as agenda-setting, on the political news media. Although there is less literature on how they affect opinion pieces and editorials, several studies, some of them published very recently (Alitavoli, 2020;Garza, 2017;Ha, 2017Ha, , 2015Dahmen, 2010) have applied the concepts and mechanism of framing to opinion articles. Although opinion articles may be by nature subject to framing, this does not obviate the utility of analyzing the practice of framing in text that reflect an individual's opinion.…”

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“…In a comparative analysis of a study on the frames used in opinion articles for antiwar.com and cnn.com on the war in Syria (Alitavoli, 2019), based on Entman's framing theory, concluded that cnn.com provided frames that featured Bashar al-Assad as "evil and monster" who strikes his people with chemical weapons, and at the same time it provided frames that confirmed Barack Obama's inefficiency in implementing a strategic plan on the war in Syria. On the other hand, antiwar.com provided frames that encouraged readers to protest against another war, and reminded them of the failures of similar previous wars such as the Iraq war and its negative legacies.…”