How and to what effect does tabloid rhetoric selectively “other” the terrorist? LABIBA ABDUL
INTRODUCTION WHY RESEARCH THIS TOPIC? → The first time I was taught how to analyze the use of language in media, the world was experiencing a surplus of terrorist attack coverage. What interested me, other than the tragic outcomes of these incidents, was the ways in which the perpetrators were depicted; I noticed a pattern. There was a clear divergence in the perception of terrorists constructed based on their social group. Why was it that the definition of a terrorist only seemed to apply to individuals of a very specific religious background? I realized the drastic difgerences in connotation which I attributed to a Western terrorist versus a non-Caucasian terrorist, and I wanted to find out why.
METHODOLOGY COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS → I analysed two case studies from the same news outlet ( The Daily Mirror : 2016 Orlando and 2019 Christchurch shootings); both cases are relatively similar , with the main difgerentiating factor being the ethnic background of the perpetrator. → Both cases were analysed through specific theoretical frameworks in order to understand the conventions better , the most relevant being the concept of Orientalism , which explains how Muslims are stereotypically dehumanized as terrorists practicing a backwards religion of violence, typically seen throughout history since the beginning of colonialism.
Figure 1 - A comparison between the cover pages of the two case studies.
ANALYSIS & RESULTS Two layers of content analysis were conducted; visual rhetoric and written rhetoric, both including features typical to tabloid outlets. VISUAL RHETORIC → The composition of the cover pages were analysed (including both the layout and the images used). WRITTEN RHETORIC → The headlines (the main tool used to attract the attention of a reader) and the diction + semantic fields constructed throughout the articles were analysed.
Table 1 - A comparison of the literary and structural elements in both case studies. 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting Layout - Focus on bolded headline - Focus on cover images - Cover image complementary to headline - Coupled with mildly-lettered headline, softer approach Cover images - Perpetrator depicted as an egocentric, religious - Perpetrator depicted as an innocent bigot child - Body language and black clothing convey an - Focus on colour white insinuates unsympathetic character purity and innocence Headlines - Words such as “maniac” used; mainly negative - Words such as “angelic” used; mainly connotations positive connotations - Associated with extremist religious group (ISIS) Diction & semantic - Perpetrator has full agency over his actions; - Lack of agency; references to field therefore can be fully blamed perpetrator’s actions being out of his - Semantic field of alien and foreign ( the other) control constructed - Semantic field of innocence and powerlessness constructed
DISCUSSION → The most notable difgerence between the two cases was the levels of sympathy ofgered for each terrorist. While the Caucasian perpetrator is linked to his childhood and granted a lack of agency, the Middle-Eastern perpetrator sees highly negative connotations, stripped of personal identity and merely associated with ‘the other’. Therefore, it is a lot easier for a reader to exchange feelings of sympathy with the former terrorist, compared to the latter.
CONCLUSION → The Daily Mirror reinforces this "faceless" depiction of Muslims in media, with the reader interpreting the perpetrator as "another typical violent Muslim terrorist”, a clear manifestation of Orientalism, which exaggerates the difgerences of Arab culture and generalizes them as the entire minority group, which is reduced into ‘the other’. → The case studies demonstrate that the Daily Mirror uses loaded language and stimulating images to draw attention away from the Westener’s actions, while the actions of the Muslim terrorist are emphasized by their radicalist background and aligning with stereotypes.
SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS → The Daily Mirror is the second largest newsbrand in the United Kingdom; these harmful perceptions of an already-ostracized minority group has reached the eyes of 27 million readers. This number is shocking, especially when considering the increasingly xenophobic political climate of the nation (for example, the Brexit campaign which was fuelled by anti-immigrant and nationalist sentiments). → While our current hybrid media environment allows us to access a range of difgerent sources through which knowledge can be attained, there is still the crucial factor that older demographics, which make up the majority of consumers, tend to gravitate around one trusted news source and hence are directly influenced by perceptions constructed by media.
FURTHER RESEARCH/APPLICATION TO REAL WORLD → Amidst struggling with the word count for this academic paper , essential elements such as the sociopolitical context of The Daily Mirror and the target audience the outlet aims to appeal to are grounds for further research. → The findings of this paper establish how minor discrepancies in diction and layout can significantly afgect the perception of an entire social group, and therefore can provide guidance for media platforms/journalists in achieving neutrality within their reports. The findings could also be connected to other relevant fields of expertise, such as media and political studies to construct means through which media literacy and heightened awareness of tabloid rhetorics can be improved.
References https://crescent.icit-digital.org/articles/terrorism-mass-murders-and-islamophobia https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/12/10/social-media-outpaces-print-newspapers-in-the-u-s-as-a-news-source/ https://www.britannica.com/science/Orientalism-cultural-field-of-study https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/mirror-beats-mail-second-largest-20007549 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/02/honest-brexit-bigotry-ugly-chapter-history
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