A DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF NEWS HEADLINES: DIVERSE FRAMINGS FOR A HOSTAGE-TAKING EVENT

In August, 2010, a hostage-taking event in Manila, Philippines led to the deaths of 8 foreign tourists and the hostage-taker himself. Theevent sparked headlines that serve as a good material for newspaper discourses analysis, specifically the kind of framing for events and subjects. Three Philippine broadsheet headlines on the event were evaluated for information accuracy, perspectives offered, and event- and subjectframing. Ruiz’s (2009) three-level sociological discourse analysis (textual, contextual, and interpretation) and Iyengar’s (1991) and Pan & Kosicki’s (1993) framing classifications were used to answer the following: 1) What linguistic forms and structures were used to present the event and the concerned subject groups? 2) What kinds of framing were used in the headlines? 3) What portrayal of the event and subject groups is offered by the identified frames? The analysis suggests that the figures and exaggerated word choice were used in exaggerating the violence and impact of the event. Inaccurate references to the event location Prioritized news prominence over accuracy. Topicalization and modifiers either heightened or downplayed the hostage-takers agency (culpability). Limited references to the hostages’ background, suspect’s motives, and foiled negotiations failed to provide a fair and comprehensive news context that could have presented significant social issues. Generally, the sole focus on the hostage-event presented an episodic framing resulting in an incomplete story. Hence, news agencies are recommended to provide accurate data, use fair word choice, and present a comprehensive exploration of different story angles. Consequently, readers should learn to identify structural cues to avoid news misinterpretation.