Letters to the Editor in the "War on Terror": A Cross-National Study

Abstract

This article analyzes discursive patterns in a cross-national sample of letters to the editor from the 12 months following the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Using the techniques of traditional content analysis and Critical Discourse Analysis, the study examines the degree to which letters published in The New York Times, The Times of London, and The Australian serve to support or challenge state practices in the U.S.-led "war on terror." The analysis reveals marked similarities in the discursive strategies employed in the letters, but significant cross-national differences in the level of state support expressed by the authors.