Exploring Ideological Dimensions in Media Coverage of the Russia-Ukraine Crisis: A Comparative Discourse Study
محورهای موضوعی :Falah Abdulhasan Atiyah 1 , Sahar Najarzadegan 2 , Hussein Musa Kadhim 3 , Mehdi Vaez Dalili 4
1 - Department of English Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
2 - Department of English Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
3 - Department of English, College of Basic of Education for Humanities. University of Kerbala, Kerbala, Iraq hussein.musa@uokerbala.edu.iq
4 - Department of English Languages, Isfahan (Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran
کلید واژه: Critical Discourse Analysis, Media ideology, international conflict, Sociocultural framing, Comparative discourse, Geopolitical narratives, Media framing,
چکیده مقاله :
This study investigates the ideological dimensions of media representation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis by comparing British and Arab online newspapers. Grounded in Fairclough's framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper investigates the narrative structure of The Guardian, The Sun, Arab News, and Gulf News in representing the conflict and how sociocultural and political contexts influence language use and framing strategies underpinning the ideologies. The study shows that British media, most especially The Guardian and The Sun, claim to mainly reinforce Western geopolitical narratives by framing Russia as an aggressor and Ukraine as a victim of war, emphasizing themes of democracy, aggression, and victimization. However, the media in the Arab world, such as Arab News and Gulf News, afford a more balanced approach that focuses on regional concerns like economic stability, humanitarian issues, and neutrality; on the other hand, it also covers a broad spectrum of views. Using such a comparison, this study exemplifies and contrasts the different ideological roots of media discourse within diverse cultural and political contexts. By pointing out how sociopolitical priorities and cultural values shape media framing, this study contributes to an understanding of the role that media plays in building global public opinion about international conflicts, more precisely in how media from different regions may frame the same event quite differently. This thus underlines the importance of cross-cultural media literacy and gives insight into the power of media in the perception-shaping process of a conflict.
This study investigates the ideological dimensions of media representation of the Russia-Ukraine crisis by comparing British and Arab online newspapers. Grounded in Fairclough's framework of Critical Discourse Analysis, this paper investigates the narrative structure of The Guardian, The Sun, Arab News, and Gulf News in representing the conflict and how sociocultural and political contexts influence language use and framing strategies underpinning the ideologies. The study shows that British media, most especially The Guardian and The Sun, claim to mainly reinforce Western geopolitical narratives by framing Russia as an aggressor and Ukraine as a victim of war, emphasizing themes of democracy, aggression, and victimization. However, the media in the Arab world, such as Arab News and Gulf News, afford a more balanced approach that focuses on regional concerns like economic stability, humanitarian issues, and neutrality; on the other hand, it also covers a broad spectrum of views. Using such a comparison, this study exemplifies and contrasts the different ideological roots of media discourse within diverse cultural and political contexts. By pointing out how sociopolitical priorities and cultural values shape media framing, this study contributes to an understanding of the role that media plays in building global public opinion about international conflicts, more precisely in how media from different regions may frame the same event quite differently. This thus underlines the importance of cross-cultural media literacy and gives insight into the power of media in the perception-shaping process of a conflict.
Alyahya, M. (2023). Balancing narratives: Arab media representations of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Media and Society.
Baker, P., Gabrielatos, C., Khosravinik, M., Krzyzanowski, M., McEnery, T., & Wodak, R. (2013). Discourse analysis and media bias: The representation of Islam in the British press. Cambridge University Press.
Brusylovska, O., & Maksymenko, O. (2022). Framing the Kremlin’s narrative: Media strategies in Russian news coverage of the Ukraine crisis. Eastern European Journal of Communication.
Chouliaraki, L. (2021). The digital border: Migration, technology, power. New York University Press.
Entman, R. M. (2004). Projections of power: Framing news, public opinion, and U.S. foreign policy. University of Chicago Press.
Fairclough, N. (1992). Discourse and social change. Polity Press.
Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical discourse analysis: The critical study of language. Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2013). Language and power (3rd ed.). Longman.
Jørgensen, M., & Phillips, L. (2002). Discourse analysis as theory and method. Sage.
Kuźniar, R. (2023). Geopolitical narratives in media representations of the Ukraine conflict. International Studies Journal.
Latif, A., et al. (2024). Framing democracy: Western media’s portrayal of the Russia-Ukraine war. Discourse Studies.
Mohammed, S. (2023). Media discourse and ideological framing: A study of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Discourse Studies Quarterly.
Najarzadegan, Sahar & Varnosfadrani, Azizollah & Eslami-Rasekh, Abbass. (2017). A Critical Discourse Analysis of Iran and US Presidential Speeches at the UN: The Sociopragmatic Functions. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 7. 764. 10.17507/tpls.0709.08.
Najarzadegan, S. (2022). The Effect of Learning a CDA Model on Promoting EFL Undergraduates’ Reading Comprehension Ability across Different Proficiency Levels. Journal of Modern Research in English Language Studies, 9(4), 75-92. doi: 10.30479/jmrels.2022.15612.1905
Pavlichenko, A. (2022). Polarization in media political discourse: A CDA approach to the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Journal of Political Discourse Analysis.
Pomerantsev, P. (2023). Nothing is true and everything is possible: The surreal heart of the new Russia. Faber & Faber.
Selvarajah, K., & Fiorito, M. (2023). Ideological strategies in media coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war: A critical discourse analysis. European Journal of Communication.
Van Dijk, T. A. (1993). Elite discourse and racism. Sage.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2009). Society and discourse: How social contexts influence text and talk. Cambridge University Press.
Van Dijk, T. A. (2015). Discourse and knowledge: A sociocognitive approach. Cambridge University Press.
Wodak, R. (2011). The discourse of politics in action: Politics as usual. Palgrave Macmillan.
Wodak, R., & Meyer, M. (2015). Methods of critical discourse analysis (3rd ed.). Sage.
