Abstract

This Independent Study thesis looks at the connection between media framing and political polarization as it relates to the January 6th Insurrection. I completed a content analysis on FOX and CNN broadcast news coverage of the January 6th Insurrection to discern if there was any slant, and to what degree, in the coverage of the conflict. I also did an ethical analysis of the event itself and its participants to discern whether there was any ethical justification for the events that transpired. This thesis is split into six chapters plus an introduction and conclusion. Chapter 2 is a review of prior literature on media bias and its effects on polarization and political behavior. Based on previous literature, I hypothesize that FOX and CNN, based on partisan political affiliation, would report on the event significantly differently, with FOX reporting neutrally to positively on its participants and CNN reporting negatively. In chapter 2, I also develop a framework for the ethics of insurrection and media reporting, inspired by thinkers Leonard Harris, Lee McBride, and others. I argue that for an insurrection to have ethical justification, there must be a truly oppressed group, and its participants must operate with conceptions of human beings that motivate against brutality and injustice. Chapter 3 contains the methods for my content analysis. I conduct manual coded content analysis to discern the slant and degree to which CNN and FOX report on the Insurrection and associated actors. Chapter 4 is an analysis of the results. I confirm four out of five of my hypotheses but do not find bias in FOX’s coverage of the left. Chapter 5 is an evaluation of the January 6th Insurrection based on the framework created in Chapter 3. I find that there was no moral justification for the events that transpired on January 6. I discuss broader implications of the ‘bigger picture’ in my conclusion, as well as future directions and limitations.

Advisor

McBride, Lee

Second Advisor

Wrobel, Megan

Department

Philosophy; Political Science

Keywords

January 6 Insurrection, manual content analysis, content analysis, ethics of insurrection, capitol riots, pragmatic ethics

Publication Date

2023

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2023 Noah D. Golovan