Conspiracy Framing and Intratextual Elements: Chryons and Clips in the FOX News Coverage of the Brett Kavanaugh Hearings

Abstract

Background Coverage of the Brett Kavanaugh hearing was continual, the commentary constant, and the conspiracy theories advanced, by both Kavanaugh and Fox News, were consequential. Methods Using conspiracy as a lens, this article examines the Fox News coverage of the Senate Judiciary Confirmation Hearing of Brett Kavanaugh on September 27, 2018. On that day, Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony detailing an alleged sexual assault was heard, as was Kavanaugh’s statement in defense of himself. Specifically, the article looks at the entire day of coverage including the commentary during breaks in the hearing as well as the Fox News programming run after the completion of the day’s testimony. Results Adopting a conspiracy frame demonstrates how Fox News coverage revolved around a conspiracy by Democrats. Democrats were constructed as an unappeasable, evil force; Blasey Ford was presented as a pawn used by Democrats; and Kavanaugh was positioned as a symbolic representative of white patriarchy -- the persecuted hero fighting for the American people and way of life. Conclusions Unpacking the consequences of this narrative framing reveals the way news elements and intratextual elements of coverage (clips and chyrons) construct an interpretive frame for viewers. In the Kavanaugh case, the conspiratorial interpretive frame allowed for the dismissal of Blasey Ford, justified Kavanaugh’s aggressively defensive tone, and associated his defense with the necessary defense of American justice.