Abstract:

Vast majority of the violent attacks including the terrorist attacks are stored in the memory of the reader and the audience in the way it was covered by the mass media. Most of the studies show that societies perceive the attacks from the point of view of the media outlets. There is a direct relationship between the framing of the news and the perception of the society. The way a terrorist act is framed can influence the public opinion. Framing involves selecting particular aspects and angles of reality and privileging them in the description, the definition, the interpretation and the moral evaluation of the subject being covered. How to formulate and frame the news is important not only for influencing the perception of the public, but also to present objective news to the public. Objectivity is one of the main issues of the news media which is considered to be the hallmark of “good journalism”. It is one of the most important criteria for testing the reliability of the news. Although it is claimed that objectivity is a myth, formulating and framing news is an important sign that shows the independence and intention of the journalist. Especially in the first moments of a terrorist act, citizens generally refer to the news media as the first source of information. During these moments, framing the news is much more crucial. Even a few words are enough to set up a frame that can influence the public. This study examines the news coverage of British media during the first moments of the terrorist attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand and questions the editorial choices of British newspapers. A discourse analysis was conducted on news coverage of the Christchurch Mosques across the British daily newspapers. The language, representation, discourse and constructed meaning used in the news are the focus of the study.

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