US news media’s framing of the ‘North Korean crisis’ under the Trump administration: The new ideological foreign affairs paradigm

On 11 February 2017, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test of the Trump administration. Over the ensuing year the North Korean government continued to defy international pressures through the intensification of its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Durin...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Media, war & conflict war & conflict, 2024-03, Vol.17 (1), p.62-80
Main Authors: Labbe, Brett, Park, SangHee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression (International law)
Crises
Escalation
Frame analysis
Human rights
International relations
Management
Media violence
Military regimes
News media
Realpolitik
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:On 11 February 2017, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test of the Trump administration. Over the ensuing year the North Korean government continued to defy international pressures through the intensification of its ballistic missile and nuclear programs. During this time frame, an escalation of adversarial rhetoric between the Trump administration and the Kim Jong-un military government gained widespread media attention for its potential to escalate into military aggression. This study analyzes USA Today coverage of the ‘North Korean crisis’, and its subsequent de-escalation following the announcements of diplomatic talks in March 2018 in order to gain insight into the nature of mainstream US media framing of the issue. The study found that US news media appropriates ingroup/outgroup dichotomies in the service of US interests. Analysis also revealed that the coverage embraced an ideologically-based narrative predicated on the rejection of an international system based on the moral imperatives of democracy and human rights in favor of a realpolitik interpretation of the international system in which actors compete for advantage.
ISSN:1750-6352
1750-6360
DOI:10.1177/17506352231162280