MCT Final Presentation

1. FRAMING ISIS:
TIME MAGAZINE’S COVERAGE OF A GLOBAL
THREAT
By: Abbey Little

2. ABSTRACT
Utilizing framing theory, a content analysis of 15 TIME Magazine
issues was conducted to study the portrayal of ISIS in the months
following the Paris, France attacks of November 2015. As the second
largest attack on the western world, next to September 11, significant
coverage of ISIS was present from November 16, 2015 to March 21,
2016. Building off previous research on ISIS, six themes were
prevalent: Aggressive Nature of ISIS, Islamic Fundamentalism,
Religious Differences and Intolerance, Crimes Against Humanity,
Desire for Peace, and Religious Tolerance. In addition, two new
frames emerged including U.S. Efforts and Middle Eastern Migrants.
Keywords: framing, ISIS, TIME Magazine, terrorist attacks

3. INTRODUCTION
September 11, 2001
Death of Osama bin Laden
US presence in Afghanistan
Syrian conflict
ISI
S

4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND
HYPOTHESES
RQ1: What frames emerged in TIME Magazine’s coverage of ISIS
following the November 2015 France attacks?
H1: Frames associated with Islamic extremists, religious
intolerance, aggression of ISIS, and destruction of society in
the wake of an attack will be portrayed throughout the articles.
RQ2: What is the dominant tone of the coverage of ISIS?
H2: Negative and serious tones will dominate TIME
Magazine’s coverage of ISIS following the November 2015
France attacks.

5. METHODOLOGY
• TIME Magazine Vault
• 15 issues
• Nov. 16, 2015 – March 21, 2016
• 540 articles  84 articles
• Keywords: ISIS, IS, IL, Daesh,
terrorism, Islam, Muslim
• Final Sample: 33 articles

6. • TONE: positive, negative, neutral
• Preliminary Frames:
• Aggressive Nature of ISIS
• Islamic Fundamentalism
• Religious Differences & Intolerance
• Crimes Against Humanity
• Desire for Peace
• Religious Tolerance
• Aggressive Nature of Coalition Forces
• Humanitarian Efforts
METHODOLOGY

7. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION

8. TABLE 2: Categorization of each of the 33 articles under the specified frame and tone in TIME Magazine, keeping in mind some articles portrayed more than one framing category
FRAME AND TONE CATEGORIZATION

9. PERCENTAGES OF EACH FRAME
Aggressive
Nature of ISIS
25%
Islamic
Fundamentalism
20%
Religious
Differences
and
Intolerance
7%
Crimes
Against
Humanity
10%
Desire for
Peace
7%
Religious
Tolerance
2%
US Efforts
20%
Middle Eastern
Migrants
9%
Mentions in TIME Magazine
TABLE 3:
Indicates the
percentages of
each frame
found in relation
to the total
frames

10. AGGRESSIVE NATURE OF ISIS
• “If you are not able to find an IED or a bullet, then single out the
disbelieving American, Frenchman, or any of his allies. Smash his
head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife, or run him over with
your car.” – How to Beat ISIS (November 30, 2015)
• “nothing a year ago [to a terrorist organization with] militant groups
in nearly 20 countries that have sworn allegiance to ISIS” – Former
CIA Director- ISIS Will Strike America (November 30, 2015)

11. ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM
• ISIS has become a “movement that inspires volunteers” –A More
Dangerous ISIS Is Now the Ultimate Terrorist Group (November 23,
2015)
• al-Baghdadi’s call to arms: “come so that you may be honored and
esteemed, living as masters of dignity” – A More Dangerous ISIS Is
Now the Ultimate Terrorist Group (November 23, 2015)
• “they attack in the name of God and while the recruits themselves
may be killed, their ideas and motivations live on” –Kamel Daoud:
ISIS’s Lineage Of Terror (November 30, 2015)

12. RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES &
INTOLERANCE
• “Every Muslim is a terrorist.” - An American Muslim Community
Shares Its Story (December 28, 2015)
• An activist group under the name ‘Patriotic Europeans Against the
Islamization of the West’ was formed and several other vigilante
groups have taken it upon themselves to harass migrants and
protect from “Islamist intruders.” -‘Germany’s Migrant Assault
Scandal and Europe’s Refugee Challenge (February 1, 2016)

13. CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY
• “to strike at levity, joy, sport, music, and youth” – Why the World
Weeps for Paris (November 30, 2015)
• “Mama, where kids killed?” – The Hardest Question: Explaining the
Paris Attacks to My Child (November 30, 2015)

14. DESIRE FOR PEACE
• “Many in the world know that a strong France, faithful to itself and
master of its own destiny, is indispensable to world peace. Let us
stand together” - Marine Le Pen: How France Will Conquer the
Enemies of Liberty’ (November 30, 2015)

15. RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
• “a man fumbled with his cell phone and read ‘Assalam Alaykum’
(peace be to you). He explained that he had practiced it ‘so that if he
saw a Muslim lady, he could greet her peacefully and respectfully” -
An American Muslim Community Shares Its Story (December 28,
2015)

16. US EFFORTS
• criticizing President Obama’s efforts and strategies of
“intensification” (TIME, 2015h). The article states “what the world
needs from Obama is not his chilly acceptance, however, but a
stirring call to action” to fight the extremists.
– How to Beat ISIS (November 30, 2015)
• Clinton’s efforts in combatting ISIS provide “a more comprehensive
effort” than all of the Republican candidates combined - ‘Hillary
Clinton Is Strong on Fighting ISIS-but Democrats Don’t Seem to
Care (December 28, 2015)

17. MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS
• The divide has intensified as a result of the “tidal wave” (TIME,
2015a) of migrants, as well as the “ISIS-age anxieties they
provoke.” - Why the Migrant Issue Divides Europe (November 23,
2015)
• “I want [my neighbors] to know the Syrian people are not terrorists.
We are against ISIS. We don’t support them. They are a criminal
organization. Syrian citizens are the ones paying the price.” - Syrian
Refugees in the U.S. Feel a Backlash (December 14, 2015)

18. CONCLUSIONS
RQ1: What frames emerged?
Dominating:
• Aggressive Nature of ISIS
• Islamic Fundamentalism
• US Efforts
H1: True
RQ2: Dominant tone?
Negative (40/59)
H2: True