ICOM201 - International Television: Fox News & Al Jazeera Analysis

This report presents a content analysis of Fox News and Al Jazeera, focusing on their coverage of the Pakistan floods. The analysis examines the websites of both news channels, comparing their reporting styles, perspectives, and use of media elements like video and photographic footage. The report highlights differences in their approaches, such as Fox News' more generalized, South Asia-focused view versus Al Jazeera's more Pakistan-centric coverage. The study also considers the channels' political affiliations and the impact of these on their reporting, as well as the language and tone used in conveying the news. The report concludes that while both channels covered the same event, their presentations and emphases differed significantly, reflecting their distinct editorial stances and target audiences. The report uses data from the channel's websites and other sources to support the analysis.

Content Analysis of Fox News Channel
and Al Jazeera
Student Name: Student ID:
Subject Name: International Television and Beyond Subject ID: ICOM201
Date Due: Professor Name:
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Introduction
News channels around the world provides news feeds as well as information that are circulated
through newspapers and other social media channels (Messner, 2011). The scope of this report
does content analysis for Fox News and Al Jazeera by discussing the two websites. Their
similarities and dissimilarities are analysed from evidences found in their website. Fox News
(FNC) is an American cable and satellite television news channel that is owned by Fox
Entertainment Group. the channel is available across various countries of the world. Al Jazeera is
an Aberian news channel based from Qatar. The news channel is broadcasted around the world,
recently it has started various other channels as well. A television news is conveyed in words, on
the other hand a news website writes news and includes videos and other necessary documents in
them (Powers, 2009). Qualitative analysis of a news is established by way of various analytical
units that starts with a aim of a particular goal. In this case news regarding recent floods in
Pakistan has been selected for the purpose of analysis.
Method of Data Collection
In order to arrive at the content analysis for this report data has been primary collected form
websites of the two newspapers (Collins, 2011). Observation from print outs of pages of the
newspaper has also been a data collection method for this study. A content analysis for written
content is mostly undertaken for understanding conveying of language, tone, political alliance,
symbolic codes, views regarding recording of such news and so on. News channels relies on
various symbolic codes with objects that journalists make use off. A qualitative matrix of
analysis depicts juxtaposition of all message elements with foundation for religious wholistic
accounts (Krippendorff, 2012).
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Analysis
News regarding Pakistani floods had spread across lengths and breadths of social media
attracting global attention. Pakistan located on the conjunctions of five rivers experiences
tremendous amounts of floods especially from cloud bursts. Cloud burst has significantly
increased in the area affecting large masses of their population (www.aljazeera.com, Retrieved
on 16th September 2017). Fox News as well as Al Jazeera reported the news on their websites
with video feeds. Both highlighted the cause of such floods and damages to lives as well as
property that it had caused. Fox news correspondent posted a photographic footage that depicted
several houses that were affected from the flood conditions and people’s living conditions in the
place. Fox news had primarily its focus on the government blaming, it interviewed various
people’s point of view examining inefficiency of the government in attending to misfortunes of
people. The channel write up primarily criticized the situation in the country to tackle such form
of natural calamity (Aday, 2010). There were little reference to what could have actually caused
the flooding situation. The channel has its orientation to the American soil, with profound
analysis done in English language, its criticism efforts are unmatched and similar to other
Westernized issues. The issue heading was “South Asia monsoon flooding kills 1,200, displaces
millions”. The issue was more concentrated in South-Asia rather than analysing its issue in
typical to Pakistan floods (www.foxnews.com, Retrieved on 16th September 2017).
Al Jazeera highlighted the news regarding Pakistani floods in its newspaper as well as on social
media with primary focus on damages that it has done in that area and neighboring areas. The
news channel has more cultural orientation to Pakistan can easily be made out from its video
footage that highlights primarily crops fields and vacant spaces. The headings for the website on
the issue was “Flash floods in Pakistan kill over 40 people”. The issue had its focus on torrential
rain that caused havoc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Al Jazeera rather than comparing and
including flood situation in entire of South-Asia was more interested in Pakistan, which reflects
its political affiliations or interest in the country (Usher, 2013). The written news depicts
relatively good control over English but not American accent. The English used is more general
with no use of British or antecedent. Al Jazeera being Qatar based news media has more political
alliance to Pakistan as compared to Fox News. It primarily highlighted the ways in which floods
have increased in Pakistan, destructions that it has caused and so on. Correspondent from Fox
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news also did not have much first hand data of the news collected and had covered the news in a
relatively superficial manner.
While both the news channels took up the news for flood conditions in Pakistan both had
different point of views. Fox News had a more general outlook that depicted the entire area in
South-Asia drawing a total number of estimate for lives damaged in that area. Al Jazeera
correspondent was from Pakistan had more detailed data regarding the country’s death toll.
However, figures used in Al Jazeera are more conservative compared to those in Fox News (Al-
Najjar, 2009). Further, both the news failed to provide detailed statistics of all figures of damage
to life or property that have been caused from such floods. both the website. Al Jazeera website
contained a video footage but Fox News had a photographic footage showing loss to houses
caused. Al Jazeera had more details on their website in regards to Pakistan floods compared to
Fox News. Al Jazeera views regarding the floods was more empathic in nature as compared to
Fox News reports on floods. Both the websites news channels provide sport news as well
(Figenschou, 2010). Both the news media have thousands of readers from all around the world
and millions of subscribers as well. All data has been analysed after obtained them form these
channels websites, though their websites are similar in nature but they are yet different. Both the
websites represents information in similar manner and are also designed in a similar patter, but
their contents are highly dissimilar to each other. In the domain of international news, there is a
prevalence of a number of news media and channels with each one representing their own
thoughts. Journalists collects information from a wide variety of sources and then provides it to
these channels, who uses their analytical procedure to impact news and their various media
forms. Tactics are developed in accordance to their political influence and other methods for
enhancing a point of view or drawing readers attention to a point. Both the channels almost
include all news from around the world but each one have their own levels of understanding that
is determined by the ways in which they represent news.
Conclusion
Analysis of news from Al Jazeera and Fox News reflects that both channels have extensive
coverage on news regarding Pakistan floods. However, Fox news provides more generalized
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views as compared to Al Jazeera news website. While news channels can be similar in nature,
they are highly distinguished from their way they present their contents to the world.
International news is governed by a multiple news media and channels hence in order to develop
self-understanding regarding a particular area, analysis of data from several areas has to be
drawn.
Reference Lists
Aday, S. 2010. Chasing the bad news: An analysis of 2005 Iraq and Afghanistan war coverage
on NBC and Fox News Channel. Journal of Communication, 144-164.
Al-Najjar, A. I. 2009. How Arab is Al-Jazeera English? Comparative Study of Al-Jazeera Arabic
and Al-Jazeera English News Channels. Global Media Journal, 8.
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Collins, R. L. 2011. Content analysis of gender roles in media: Where are we now and where
should we go? Sex Roles, 290-298.
Figenschou, T. U. 2010. A voice for the voiceless? A quantitative content analysis of Al-Jazeera
English’s flagship news. Global Media and Communication, 85-107.
Krippendorff, K. 2012. Content analysis: An introduction to its methodology. Sage.
Messner, M. L. 2011. Shoveling tweets: An analysis of the microblogging engagement of
traditional news organizations. Editors’ Note, 74.
Powers, S. &.-N. 2009. Al-Jazeera English and global news networks: clash of civilizations or
cross-cultural dialogue? Media, War & Conflict, 263-284.
Usher, N. 2013. Al Jazeera English online: Understanding web metrics and news production
when a quantified audience is not a commodified audience. Digital Journalism, 335-351.
www.aljazeera.com. (Retrieved on 16th September 2017). Al Jazeera.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/08/floods-affect-16-million-nepal-india-bangladesh-
170818084524219.html.
www.foxnews.com. (Retrieved on 16th September 2017). Fox News.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/04/04/heavy-rains-flash-floods-kill-45-in-northwest-
pakistan.html.
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Appendix
Figure 1: Fox News Coverage on Pakistan Floods
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Figure 2: Al Jazeera's Video footage of Pakistan floods
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