Interpreting the constructed realities of the 1991 Gulf War : a comparative textual analysis of the two Arab and two North American newspapers

摘要

This study examines and compares the realities of the Gulf War as constructed in two Arab, and two North American newspapers. The textual analysis of the New York Times ( NYT ), the Globe and Mail ( G&M ), Ad Dustour , and Al Ahram revealed the frames that were used in interpreting the complex and remote occurrences of the Gulf War. The convergences and divergences that were revealed through the discourse analysis were examined on two levels: the micro- and the macro-level analysis. At the micro-level, the discussion dealt with the layout, functions of headlines and leads, stylistics, sources, language characteristics of the headlines, editorials, opinion columns, and letters to the editors, all in relation to the newspapers' distinctive roles in articulating their local historical, cultural, and political interests and foreign policy in the coverage of the Gulf War. The contextual analysis, on the other hand, explored the ways in which these newspapers negotiated the constraints of war journalism, media management, transnational news flow, propaganda efforts, and image perceptions.