-- Critical Media Literacy
in Times of War


-- Introduction to the Site
-- Modules

-- Afghanistan
-- Introduction

-- Background
-- Media Coverage
-- How Many Protested?
-- Crowd Size Sept. '01
-- Crowd Size April '02
-- Was Reporting Fair?
-- Comparing Reports
-- Comparing Reports, con't
-- Why Underreporting?

-- Tones and Headlines, Sept. '01 protests
(you are here)
-- Tones and Headlines, April '02 protests
-- Comparing Positions
-- Civilian Casualties
-- How Many Civilians Died?
-- Tones and Headlines
-- U.S. Raid, Oct 11, 2001
-- U.S. Raid, Oct 11, 2001 con't
-- U.S. Raid, Oct 11, 2001, part 3
-- Was the Media Told?
-- Networks Follow Orders!

THE "WAR ON TERROR"

Tone and Headlines

Different word choice and content within headlines and in article content can create different impressions about an issue and reveal the positions of the authors or the media source. Headlines are particularly important because often that is all a reader may see.

Pay attention to the word choice of the highlighted sections and the content and consider whether these suggest an editorial position sympathetic or contrary to the position of the protesters or that depict the protest as either significant or insignificant.

September 29, 2001 protests

The New York Times"Protesters in Washington Urge Peace with Terrorists"

This phrasing suggests incorrectly that protesters were advocating either inaction with regards to the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC or perhaps even an active negotiation or settlement. The protesters, while having a variety of messages, actually advocated non-violent solutions, or at least ones other than war, and changes in foreign policy that would discourage future terrorist attacks. The headline can be interpreted as suggesting that the protesters were sympathetic to the terrorists. Regardless, the headline is written in a manner that would have led almost all to a strong negative reaction towards the protesters.

cnn.com"Anti-war rallies in Washington, New York"

This headline provides almost no information other than the general theme and locations of the protests. Consequently, it probably elicited little interest from readers and gave the impression of the protests having little significance.

The Washington Post"Thousands Fill Streets of D.C. to Protest War

This phrase gives some indication of the scale of the protests, not only by stating "thousands," but also by creating an image of filled streets. While the numbers may be generally accurate, the image the headline creates serves to amplify the impression of the size of the protests.

The Nation "A Peaceful Justice?"

This headline takes the point of view of the protesters, prompting the reader to consider the possibility that a non-violent response to the terrorist attacks will also bring about justice.

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Virginia Tech, All Rights Reserved.
Women's Studies and Science and Technology Studies
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Last updated. July 6, 2003