Reading Between The Headlines : A Critical Discourse Analysis of American Headlines Covering Protests in Iran

Abstract: This paper examines how three prominent news outlets in the United States: specifically CNN, Reuters and Fox News, depict the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran and the protests that would follow. The purpose of this study is to examine whether or not political ideology affects news reporting done by these online news outlets. Subsequently, the aim is to determine how that news reporting affects readers and in turn, influences public opinion and cultural ideology. This is done by employing Fairclough’s three-dimensional model, a framework used in critical discourse analysis to examine three dimensions within communicative events. To complete this analysis, historical context, political context, and the news genres’ limitations and expectations are taken into account. This paper finds that political ideology does impact the production of news headlines in terms of lexical choices made both to emphasize the focal point of different news sources, as well as where they stem from and what narrative they enforce. Finally, empirical evidence to support these claims is presented and interpreted.