Digital Commons Network^™

Terrorism In The News: A Constructionist Approach, Lisa Linn Sharp

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines portrayals of terrorism in the New York Times during the 1990s. Using ethnographic content analysis, I analyze several dimensions of coverage including the emphasis given in articles to violence, the characterizations used to describe terrorists and their actions, the sources of information used in the reports, whether the cause of the terrorists are addressed, and the character of coverage for men and women terrorists. I argue that the portrayals focus on the most sensational and dramatic aspects of terrorism and authority's interpretations of the groups; they fail to provide readers an analysis of causes, contexts, and structural …