The `Troubles' as Portrayed in Four Irish Newspapers

Abstract

This article is an exploratory analysis of the linguistic treatment of the `troubles' by the Irish print media. It studies the national news reported by four different Irish newspapers published during a two-month period immediately following the violation of the cease-fire agreement by the IRA in February 1996. In an effort to understand better the many issues underlying the crisis, each newspaper's treatment of `the troubles' are studied and similarities and differences are examined. Computer-assisted content analysis is employed to survey the large volume of news stories for relevant news, and to help examine tendencies in specific language utilization, particularly as it exemplifies selected theories of conflict resolution. By utilizing certain language and focusing on particular issues, it appears that the press has the power to help promote community dialog and potentially resolve conflicts. At the moment, however, stronger efforts are needed since the newspapers examined often reflect the biases of particular communities and readerships.