Counterframing Public Dissent: An Analysis of Antiwar Coverage in the U.S. Media

Abstract

This research sought to determine how the U.S. news media reported on public dissent in the U.S./Iraq War campaign in the months surrounding the Congressional midterm elections of 2006. In total, 89 news stories of antiwar coverage from 11 national news sources were analyzed using mixed research methods. The study found that news on Iraq War dissent was largely vocalized by public antiwar protestors and active military/war veterans. These war critics presented new counterframes to the original war story, which earlier research showed had been framed by the Bush administration. Counterframes collectively characterized the war story as “illegal,” “immoral,” and “based on lies.” These public-driven messages also replaced the elite sourcing (of earlier coverage) with the views of non-elites, that is, ordinary citizens. Such counterframes emerged primarily through journalist-selected news quotes about the Iraq War that amplified themes of White House accountability.

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