Weaponizing bias: An analysis of polarized media during the Kavanaugh/Ford hearings
Open Access
Author:
Vogel, Elisa
Area of Honors:
Communication Arts and Sciences
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Mary Elizabeth Stuckey, Thesis Supervisor Lori Ann Bedell, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
rhetoric cas kavanaugh ford congress trump news fox msnbc media polarization political polarization bias
Abstract:
This thesis examines the rhetoric of cable news networks in the context of the Brett Kavanaugh/Christine Blasey Ford hearings in September of 2018. By analyzing the networks’ framing methods, rhetorical devices, and use of character and ethos, we can look at how network bias bleeds through to rhetoric and contributes to polarized political discourse. Fox News Network takes a very direct style of rhetoric, creating a narrative and discourse rooted in attacking and mistrusting the other side. MSNBC takes a more indirect approach, encouraging its viewers to elaborate and creating more resilient attitudes while discrediting the other side of the aisle. Both networks’ political bias is evident in the techniques they use, illuminating how networks are incentivized to create political polarization in order to maintain a steady viewership base and profit.