Negative Representation of Assad’s Regime in CNN Online Articles

Abstract

This research article discusses the use of chemical weapons in Syria. This study discusses the representation of Assad's regime in two CNN articles since there is an assumption that Assad's regime and its alliances are the responsible ones for the chemical weapon issue in Syria. The data is analyzed through Critical Discourse Analysis by Van Dijk as the grand theory so that it is examined by using macro and micro level analysis. This study shows that these articles present the negative representation of Assad's regime. It can be seen from the negative lexical choices which are used by the writers to describe Assad's regime and it also can be seen from the writers attempts to present the US's arguments by trying to legitimize it by frequently using verbal reaction in schematic analysis and the writers of the articles also struggle to hide another version of truth which stated that the responsible one for the use of chemical weapon in Syria is the rebels groups.

Critical Discourse Analysis: The Negative Representation of the French President in France's English Online News

“…The results of this research reveal the negative representation of Emmanuel Macron in the issue of Murder of Samuel Paty in The Connexion France online newspapers. Utama & Amalia's (2019) research also shows the negative representation of social actors, namely Assad's long reign in Syria, in CNN online newspapers. However, the way they analyse data that reveals negative representation of social actors in online newspapers is different from ours.…”

“…Language plays an essential part in this process because it is used to prepare, accompany, motivate, and play any political action (Shah et al, 2021). Utama & Amalia (2019) discussed that CDA is one of the methods used by analysts to find the real identity. An object in discourse cannot exist alone since context determines the object's identity.…”

“…There is always a purpose behind every news release made by the media. CDA used to see the ideology utilised by media to deliver the news (Bulan & Kasman, 2018;Utama & Amalia, 2019). Thus, Discursive practices carried out by the media include how news articles are produced by journalists and consumed by readers.…”

“…In critical discourse analysis, representation refers to the language used in a text to provide meaning to groups, social practices adopted by them, and events (Afzal, 2019). Only one study was found to have researched negative representation in news, but Utama & Amalia (2019), who analysed how the United States' news represented the highly criticised Assad regime in Syria, used CDA in micro and macro levels, in other words, the linguistic structures and types of information content. Research that focuses on discursive strategy to reveal a representation of social actor is still scant.…”

Construction of Public Opinion in Online News on the Issue of Nurses’ Expulsion from Boarding House: A Critical Discourse Analysis

“…These dimensions are created and analyzed through media. Media have crucial role in constructing public opinions, because the discourses created by the media can influence readers' or audiences' views by doing neutralization or marginalization upon the reviews (Utama & Amalia, 2019). Through the marginalization in the media communication, the media built the representation of social actors involved in the issue into positive or negative in public's opinion (Citraresmana, Erlina, & Amalia, 2018).…”