U.S. National Identity, Political Elites, and a Patriotic Press Following September 11

The Media’s Coverage of Domestic Terrorism

“…For example, seeAbu-Lughood (2002),Altheide (2004),Bligh, Kohles, and Meindl (2004),Burney (2002),Chermak, Bailey, and Brown (2003),Entman (2003),Hutcheson, Domke, Billeaudeaux, and Garland (2004),Nacos (2003aNacos ( , 2003b,Reynolds and Barrett (2003), andWright (2002).…”

American Atrocity Revisited: National Identity, Cascading Frames, and the My Lai Massacre

“…In the case of My Lai, members of the U.S. military were the transgressors, and the character and morality of the nation were directly implicated. Moreover, this incident occurred during a time of war when national identity would have been particularly salient and citizens would have been inclined to "rally around the flag" (Bloom, 1990;Hutcheson, Domke, Billeaudeaux, & Garland, 2004). Thus, the Nixon administration would have been compelled to construct and disseminate frames that appeal to and protect the national identity to save and restore their own image, and that of the nation they represent.…”

“…In contrast, cascading activation suggests that even if there is considerable disagreement among officials, this debate may not be reflected in the press if the frames introduced by the White House and military officials are more culturally resonant than congressional challenges. Scholarship has shown, for example, that news reporting frequently reflects an ethnocentric bias, particularly in times of conflict (Gans, 1979;Rivenburgh, 2000), and that psychological tendencies often lead journalists to rationalize or minimize the severity of incidents that threaten the image of the nation (Fishman & Marvin, 2003;Slattery & Doremus, 2012;Wolfsfeld, Frosh, & Awadby, 2008; business imperatives are relevant too, see Hutcheson et al, 2004). With this in mind, we expect a decline in the contestation of White House and military frames in news coverage about My Lai as they cascade downward toward the press due to the cultural resonance of these messages and the diminishing returns of the cascade-that is, news media are lower down in the framing hierarchy and, thus, find it increasingly difficult to resist the initial frames offered by the administration.…”

French and Feminine: Hegemonic Masculinity and the Emasculation of John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Race

“…In times of crisis, journalists, like many other citizens, are likely to rally in support of their leaders (see Domke, 2004;Hutcheson, Domke, Billeaudeaux, & Garland, 2004;Zaller & Chiu, 1996). The watchdog function of the highly concentrated U.S. news media is further limited in times of crisis as industry economic pressures and the need to maintain audience interest equate to increasingly patriotic coverage (Brookes, 1999;Gans, 1979).…”