Terrorism, Islamophobia and White supremacy: Comparing CNN and the BBC coverage of the Christchurch mosque shooting

Abstract

This qualitative textual analysis used framing theory to compare 80 online articles from Cable News Network (CNN) and British Broadcasting Company (BBC) dealing with the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand. The study examined themes of Islamophobia and White supremacy and the media representation of the White perpetrator who carried out the attack. The analysis over eight days following the shooting identified the most prominent frames used by both network, and how these frames were employed to serve a specific context. The study found that the attack was too shocking to the extent that BBC and CNN adopted a new non-classical narrative that was not typical of western news coverage of attacks committed by White perpetrators. This shift was represented by adopting frames of ‘terrorist’ and ‘terrorism’ and avoiding the frame of ‘mentally sick perpetrator’ that used to be prevalent in western media coverage of similar attacks. Both networks associated the perpetrator with White supremacy and engaging in a terrorist attack. While both CNN and BBC framed the shooting as a terrorist attack driven by Islamophobic sentiments, the terrorism framing was more obvious on CNN than on the BBC. The White supremacist motive was highlighted by CNN, while the right-wing framing was central in the BBC coverage.