White Supremacy and Islamophobia : Comparing CNN and BBC Coverage of Christchurch Mosque Shooting
Basel Alameer Hasan, Mohammed El-Nawawy
معهد الدوحة للدراسات العليا · قطر
This textual analysis study used framing theory to compare 80 CNN and BBC online articles dealing with the 2019 Christchurch mosque shooting in New Zealand. The study examined themes of Islamophobia and white supremacy and the media representation of the white perpetrator and Muslim victims. The study found that the attack was too shocking to the extent that BBC and CNN adopted a new non-classical narrative in their coverage. While both CNN and BBC framed Christchurch mosque shooting as a terrorist attack driven by Islamophobic sentiments, the terrorism framing was more obvious on CNN than on BBC. The white supremacist motive was highlighted by CNN, while the right-wing framing was central in the BBC coverage. The study found that the white perpetrator was framed as a terrorist by both networks, rather than as a mentally sick person. The study also found that both networks shed light on the sympathy stirred by locals towards the victims. They also highly humanized the Muslim victims and highlighted the tragedy that was caused by the attack for the victims’ families. The victims’ Islamic identity was more pronounced on BBC than on CNN.