Evolution of News Frames During the 2011 Egyptian Revolution

Abstract

This study traces the evolution of U.S. news media frames of participants in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution, part of the Arab Spring. Critical discourse analysis reveals that CNN.com and FoxNews.com employ frames previously applied to Muslims and the Middle East—U.S. friend/enemy and rational/irrational—to explain the anti-government protesters, president Hosni Mubarak and Mubarak’s government, and the Muslim Brotherhood to U.S. audiences. Media frames of certain groups fluctuate during the revolution and between CNN and Fox News, but, overall, these frames predominantly reflect U.S. political ideology that favors people seeking democracy over authoritarian rule and remains wary of Islam.