A Critical Discourse Analysis of Covid-19 in Iranian and American Newspapers

Ali Dezhkameh ,Nasim Layegh ,Yaser Hadidi

doi:10.17576/gema-2021-2103-13

Ali Dezhkameh , Nasim Layegh + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.17576/gema-2021-2103-13

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Abstract

The policies and ideologies of countries are reflected in the propagated media of that country, and newspapers are no exception. Covid-19 has affected the lives of people all around the world. The present study investigated the ideological differences in reporting the news related to Covid-19 in light of Van Dijk’s ideological square framework. To do so, a representative sample of 56 news articles was chosen over a period of one year (from January 2020 to the end of January 2021) from one Iranian and one American newspaper, the Tehran Times and The New York Times. Overall, 2,977 clauses were analysed both qualitatively, to find out the reason of occurrence, and quantitatively, to determine the frequency of occurrence for each micro-strategy. Evidentiality, Hyperbole, Metaphor, National Self-Glorification, Negative Lexicalisation, and Number Game were the most frequent micro-strategies. Such high frequencies of the strategies can make for effective discursive apparatus to make readers believe what news articles claim is true. The most salient implication of this study would be raising readers’ and academics’ awareness of the need to view news articles critically to avoid negative ramifications of ideological propagandas. In the same vein, newspapers need to be cognizant of the micro-strategies they consciously or sub-consciously employ since certain micro-strategies can be used to manipulate readers’ minds and help news agencies to feed their readers certain ideological and political agendas. Keywords Covid-19; Critical Discourse Analysis; Ideological Micro-strategies; Newspapers; Van Dijk

Highlights

The findings of the present analysis revealed various strategies at clause level in Tehran Times and The New York Times
This study was an attempt to offer some further insight into the inefficacies of the news reports in The New York Times and Tehran Times, which showed that often, political and ideological stances of governments and news agencies are prioritised and issues related to people’s health are mostly ignored
It seems that the main forces driving the writing of Covid-19-related news reports are not geared to saving people’s lives but, instead, are tailored to backing a particular government or political party in national and international political feuds and rivalries

Summary

Introduction

Language is intrinsically a means of communication as well as control (Hodge & Kress, 1993). Taking into account that even authors of fiction have been shown to employ language to influence and seize control of the minds and emotions of their readers through the language and emotions of their characters (Mohammadpanah, et al, 2018; Mohammadpanah & Hamzehei, 2020), it fails to surprise us that the language of the press is no exception, but a prime manifestation of this controlling power (Wadi & Ahmed, 2015) In this regard, newspapers, as a popular form of the media, never aim at objective issuing forth of the news; they have their own viewpoints a Main author b Corresponding author eISSN: 2550-2131 ISSN: 1675-8021. Newspapers are a viable source for analysing the underlying ideologies and biases of particular social groups reflected in written form

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