Graduation Year
2026
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
Political Science
Second Major
English Literature
Thesis Advisor
Alison Howard, MA
Abstract
The media plays an essential role in developing an informed public and the shaping of information. Foreign policy and the coverage of the U.S. movements abroad drastically changed with the 9/11 terrorist attacks. This paper seeks to examine the ways in which media coverage of presidential rhetoric in regard to the U.S. response to terrorism changed over the course of the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations. With the use of qualitative narrative analysis of print news media sources and official statements made from the White House, this paper will identify the patterns and changes which occurred over the course of these two administrations. This research will contribute to the larger conversations in regard to the use of framing theory and role of media in politics. The findings of this paper indicate that media framing of the U.S. response to terrorism post-9/11 was initially positive and driven by the “rally around the flag” effect, but grew increasingly skeptical due to economic downturn domestically and the rise of anti-war sentiment in the U.S. Understanding this evolution offers insight into the media’s role in legitimizing and later questioning U.S. counterterrorism policies and the critical role news media plays in providing and propagating information.
Included in
American Politics Commons, International Relations Commons, Rhetoric and Composition Commons