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CNN’s framing of September 11: Suggesting an appropriate response to terrorism
This framing analysis of CNN’s live coverage of September 11 provides some insight
into how broadcast media framed the events both verbally and visually. A verbal (audio)
and visual framing analysis of the first 12 hours of “breaking” live news broadcast by
CNN was conducted. This analysis qualitatively deconstructs and analyzes CNN’s
“breaking news” coverage and suggests that CNN created a powerful visual and verbal
frame with its coverage that argued to viewers that the events of September 11 comprised
an act of war so horrific that immediate military retaliation was not only justified but
necessary.