Running Head: Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 1

Framing ISIS:
A Comparative Analysis of TIME and Newsweek Magazines’ Coverage of a Global Threat
Abbey Little
Baylor University
November 28, 2017
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 2

Abstract

Using framing theory, the researcher conducted a content analysis of 15 TIME magazine

issues and 17 Newsweek magazine issues to study the portrayal of ISIS in the months following

the Paris, France attacks of November 2015. As the second largest attack on the western world,

next to September 11, significant coverage of ISIS was present from November 2015 to March

2016. Building off previous research on ISIS, six frames were prevalent: aggressive nature of

ISIS, Islamic fundamentalism, religious differences and intolerance, crimes against humanity,

desire for peace and religious tolerance. In addition, three new frames emerged including U.S.

efforts, Middle East migrants and refugees and the international community against ISIS. This

research brings the framing of ISIS in major United States newsmagazines to the forefront,

highlighting the prominence of the terrorist organization as a global threat.

Keywords:
framing, ISIS, TIME magazine, Newsweek magazine, terrorist attacks, newsmagazines
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 3

Introduction

Tuesday, September 11, 2001, was a normal day in America, as political leaders and

citizens, alike, conducted their daily activities. President George W. Bush was in Florida visiting

a classroom and listening to students read at Emma E. Booker elementary school to show off the

administration’s No Child Left Behind education plan (ABC News, 2011). Thousands of men and

women went to work at the Twin Towers, while nearly 100 others boarded flights thinking they

would soon reach their desired destinations (“9/11 Attacks - Facts & Summary,” n.d., p. 11).

Firefighters, police officers, and paramedics paroled New York City like any other day and

military personnel working at the Pentagon prepared military defense and intelligence strategies,

unaware of what was coming.

The normalcy of this Tuesday would soon change and become one of the most remembered

days not only in American history, but in world history. Four commercial airplanes were hijacked,

with two crashing into the World Trade Center towers, a third crashing into the Pentagon and a

fourth crashing into a field in western Pennsylvania after passengers fought back against the

hijacking terrorists. “Nearly 3,000 people from 93 nations” (“FAQ about 9/11,” n.d., p. 11) were

killed because of the actions of nineteen terrorists from the Islamic extremist group, al-Qaeda.

Al-Qaeda, founded by Osama bin Laden, emerged in the late 80s in support of Muslims

fighting in the Afghan War. When the war was over, al-Qaeda continued to grow and train recruits

in “established camps for Muslim militants” (“al-Qaeda | Islamic militant organization,” n.d.).

Byman (2015) stated the following:

For local jihadists, pledging allegiance to bin Laden and adopting the al-Qaeda brand,

meant obtaining access to a wide range of assets: money, weapons, logistical support,
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 4

expertise and, of course, training – al-Qaeda training camps were the Ivy Leagues of

jihadist education. (para. 5)

After several small-scale attacks in various places, the extremist group organized the

September 11 attacks on the United States, whom they saw as the bigger enemy underwriting

corruption in the Middle East. The United States followed this attack with the declaration of the

War on Terror and the quest for Osama bin Laden. On May 2, 2011, Osama bin Laden was

captured and killed by U.S. intelligence (“al-Qaeda | Islamic militant organization,” n.d.).

Partly due to both the death of bin Laden and the weakening of al-Qaeda by the United

States’ presence in Afghanistan, the “global symbol” of al-Qaeda became less powerful, thus

creating the opportunity for the Islamic State (ISIS) to emerge and thrive (Byman, 2015). When

the Syrian conflict began in 2011, ISIS began initiating recruitment to build their organization and

expanded into Syria and Iraq. Since this time, ISIS has expanded their territories and their attacks,

with a strategy to maintain control of a territory, build an army and control more territories. This

group “seeks to conquer” utilizing mass executions, public beheadings, rape, and symbolic

crucifixions to spread their messages and ideals (Byman, 2015).

Hoffman (1998) defined terrorism as the following:

[It is] the deliberate creation and exploitation of fear through violence or the threat of

violence in the pursuit of political change. [It] is specifically designed to have far-reaching

psychological effects beyond the immediate victim(s) or object of the terrorist attack. It is

meant to instill fear within, and thereby intimidate, a wider ‘target audience’ that might

include a rival ethnic or religious group, an entire country, a national government or

political party, or public opinion in general.

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 5

Without media coverage, terrorist groups, such as ISIS, would not be able to advance their

agendas, like those listed in the definition above. However, without media coverage, the public

would not be able to stay informed of these terroristic acts (Hoffman, 1998). Since the tragedy of

September 11, the news media has had to continuously circulate and keep the public informed of

terrorist attacks that have not only occurred in the United States, but globally. This study

specifically analyzes themes that emerged from the news coverage throughout TIME magazine

and Newsweek magazine following the Paris, France attacks that occurred Nov. 13, 2015 by the

terrorist group, ISIS. Utilizing framing theory, the researcher conducted a content analysis over 15

TIME magazine issues from Nov. 16, 2015 to March 21, 2016 and 17 Newsweek magazine issues

from Nov. 20, 2015 to March 18, 2016.

Framing has been defined in various ways, however two definitions state it is “the way

events and issues are organized and made sense of, especially by the media, media professionals

and their audiences” (Reese, 2001) and “media often pay particular attention to an issue, thereby

highlighting a certain problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment

recommendation” (Satti, 2015). This can be done through the style of writing to tell a story, the

photographs chosen to illustrate the events, the headlines used to catch peoples’ attention and the

tone of voice in which events are reported, all contributing to the stress on the importance of certain

information over others. In time, these pieces of information give way to reoccurring ideas or

themes, often shaping how the public views the situation or actors involved. When it comes to

studying how news media portray events as important as terrorism and as impactful as extremist

groups, like ISIS, framing is an important theory to pay attention to.

There is an abundance of research focused on framing with a general emphasis on terrorism

and the media. However, research focused specifically on framing, media and ISIS is lacking.
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 6

Additionally, this research is centrally focused on frames that occur from newsmagazines, instead

of from other forms of media, such as broadcast, newspaper or social media. Therefore, this

specific study fills a void in the literature.

Literature Review

Theoretical Framework: Framing

Framing is a concept related to the agenda setting theory. However, instead of merely

pointing the public to an array of issues, framing is a way for media to “give some overall

interpretation to isolated items of fact” (McQuail, 2010) by placing the issue(s) into a specific

context that can alter a viewer’s perspective one way or another.

Erving Goffman (1974) is credited for the development of the framing analysis theory

through his studies of how individuals make sense of their social world, utilizing both natural

and social frameworks (Baran & Davis, 2015). Natural frameworks identify physical

occurrences, while social frameworks identify “events as socially driven occurrences, due to the

whims, goals and manipulations on the part of other social players (people)” (“Framing Theory –

Mass Communication Theory,” n.d.). Goffman (1974) focused on the every-day situations

people are placed in and their reactions to these situations, particularly those dealing with

complications. Ultimately, he concluded that both frameworks are crucial in the development of

our interpretations of life around us, working together to influence the way we see and act in

various situations, whether we notice them or not.

As a theory of media effects characterized by “social constructivism,” framing has been

studied by many researchers beginning in the 1980s (Scheufele, 1999). Baran and Davis (2015)

stated “the most common finding is that exposure to news coverage results in learning that is
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 7

consistent with the frames that structure the coverage.” If one frame is dominantly covered

throughout any form of media, thoughts from the public will typically align with that frame

(Ryan, Caragee, and Meinhofer, 2001; Valkenburg and Semetko, 1999). Mass media forums

actively set these frames, which are then used by readers and viewers to guide their

interpretations and discussions of public events (Tuchman, 1978). By providing an angle for a

story, journalists provide a “central organizing idea or story line that provides meaning to an

unfolding strip of events [because] the frame suggests what the controversy is about [or] the

essence of the issue” (Gamson and Modigliani, 1987).

Frames serve four different functions. They seek to define the problem, identify the

causes, convey a moral judgement and suggest remedies for any given issue (Entman, 1993).

Through this process, media determine what the causal agent is doing by examining the issues

through common cultural values, identifying the forces behind the problem, evaluating these

forces and their effects, and lastly, justifying treatments for the problems with predicted remedy

effects (Entman, 1993). By framing a problem, journalists can quickly package a story for their

audiences.

Scheufele (1999) stated in his study that previous research (Shoemaker & Reese, 1996;

Tuchman, 1978) on framing has identified at least five factors that potentially influence how

journalists frame an issue: social norms and values, organizational pressures and constraints,

pressures of interest groups, journalistic routines and ideological or political orientations of

journalists. Ultimately, whatever the driving forces are behind framing an issue for the public,

the frames that are remembered are the ones that are most easily available and retrievable from

memory (Hastie and Park, 1986; Iyengar, 1990).

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 8

Framing and Terrorism

There have been multiple studies conducted on the framing of terrorism by news media,

largely on broadcast news. As stated in a study by Sultan (2016), “There is a current obsession in

mainstream media and academic discourse pertaining to Islam/Muslims, terrorism and the

West.” Since 9/11, journalists have been “disoriented [and] scrambling to deliver a coherent

commentary” (Sultan, 2016) in their reports when terrorist attacks occur. Additionally, Sultan’s

study discusses the prevalence of negative connotations that media coverage gives to people of

the Islamic faith by associating all Muslims with terrorism. Citing a study conducted by Manning

(2003), Sultan (2016) states “prior to September 11, only 11 percent of all articles mention

‘Muslim’s’ and ‘terror’ together, whereas after September 11, 89 percent of them did.”

Ultimately, Sultan (2016) concluded that Western media coverage of terrorism post September

11 shifted more towards the framing of negative views of Islam.

A second study conducted by Papacharissi and Oliveira (2008) utilized a cross-cultural

analysis of U.S. and U.K. newspapers to understand the differences in the use of terrorism

frames in two major Western countries. The researchers analyzed, both qualitatively and

quantitively, four newspapers from the two countries. These included The New York Times, The

Washington Post, The Financial Times and The Guardian. Both U.S. newspapers, The New York

Times and The Washington Post, were dominated with news coverage focusing on a U.S.

military approach. Both U.K. newspapers, The Financial Times and The Guardian, focused more

on the diplomatic evaluation of terrorist events. These frames allowed the researchers, with

support from previous studies, to conclude that the U.S. media typically advocates for a military

solution and relies more on U.S. government and military sources, while the U.K. media
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 9

typically allows more space to cover the “diplomatic presentations and evaluations of news

events” (Papacharissi and Oliveira, 2008), while relying on an array of international sources.

Both studies contribute to this research by providing insight into how the media portrays

Islam with terrorism, as well as how the media in the United States focuses on their own policies

and efforts even when covering international events. These two frames will be useful when

analyzing articles throughout TIME magazine and Newsweek magazine.

Framing and ISIS

Perhaps the most important contribution to the literature found in relation to this specific

study of TIME magazine, Newsweek magazine and ISIS is a study conducted by Satti in 2015,

with a purpose of discovering how two different media outlets “framed the ISIS issue in the

general context of their news coverage activities” (Satti, 2015). Utilizing a comparative content

analysis of the websites of Al Jazeera English and the British Broadcasting Corporation, Satti

found that when covering ISIS, eight frames emerged from the articles. These included: Islamic

fundamentalism, religious differences and intolerance, crimes against humanity, aggressive

nature of ISIS, aggressive nature of coalition forces, desire for peace, religious tolerance and

humanitarian. The most prevalent frame was the aggressive nature of coalition forces, which was

mentioned 62 times. This frame overwhelmingly portrayed the coalition forces as the heroes

against the villains, ISIS. The least mentioned frame was religious tolerance, with only nine

articles alluding to this theme. Overall, this frame was mentioned in relation to family members

pleading for religious tolerance and understanding in exchange for ISIS’s mercy on their loved

one.
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 10

Using the keywords framing and ISIS, the study by Satti (2015) was the only relevant

search result in the EBSCO database, thus providing a base for this specific study analyzing

TIME, Newsweek and ISIS. Furthermore, the comparative analysis format of Satti’s (2015)

study provided the inspiration for the comparative nature of TIME and Newsweek. The frames

mentioned above served as the preliminary frames for this study, with the potential for new ones

to emerge throughout the research process. In addition, the lack of search results allows this

study over TIME, Newsweek, ISIS and framing to expand and add to the literature on these

topics.

Introducing TIME Magazine

TIME magazine was founded in 1923 as the first weekly news magazine in the United

States by Yale graduates Briton Hadden and Henry R. Luce, who wanted to create a magazine

for busy readers in a “systematic, concise and well-organized manner about current issues in the

United States and the rest of the world” (“Time | American magazine,” 2017). The two hired Roy

Edward Larsen soon after the magazine began, and upon Hadden’s death in 1929, Larsen became

a TIME Inc. director and vice-president (“Time (magazine) - New World Encyclopedia,” n.d.).

These roles allowed Larsen to expand TIME magazine utilizing radio and movie theaters. In

1931, he began broadcasting a radio broadcast entitled “The March of Time,” bringing the

magazine “to the attention of millions previously unaware of its existence” (Elson, 1985).

Circulation of TIME magazine increased because of public awareness. Today the magazine

offers both print editions and online digital editions covering a range of topics including the arts,

book reviews, business, education, law, medicine, science, sports, as well as national and

international affairs.
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 11

TIME Magazine and Framing

There have been studies conducted on both TIME magazine and framing theory. While

some focus on news beyond the cover, as Paragas (2004) found in his literature review, including

studies such as Moriarty and Popovich’s 1989 coverage of the 1988 elections, Woolson’s 1991

study of Malcolm X and the Nation and Aima’s 1999 study of Saddam Hussein and Iraq, others

focus on the iconic cover images of the magazines. While this specific research does not study

the cover images of TIME, the conclusions and frames drawn from the following two examples

are relevant to this study on framing ISIS throughout TIME magazine.

A study conducted in 2013 by Rosas-Moreno, Harp and Bachmann is relevant to this

study because of the ideological frames that emerged, as well as its focus on the American

military in relation to the Iraq war, which ultimately provided a fuel for the expansion of ISIS in

the present day because of the US-led invasion and occupation in Iraq (Gerges, 2014). Their

research focused on what frames would emerge from TIME magazine’s coverage of the first five

years of the Iraq war. Four dominant frames emerged from a study of 41 TIME magazine covers.

First, “The Sanitized War,” found that the images and texts didn’t show true reality of the

ugliness of warfare. Instead, both texts and cover photos avoided graphic images of war and “left

out the horror and destruction of any battlefield” (Rosas-Moreno, Harp, & Bachmann, 2013).

Second, “Against The Powers-That-Be,” found that the overall depiction of President Bush and

other governmental figures was mostly negative, showing cartoon drawings, negatively

connotated words for headlines and an overall theme of a weak president. Third, “The American

Soldier in a Time of War,” transitioned from that of an ideal, elite fighter to one that showed a

more realistic version of tired troops. Finally, “The ‘Other’ of the War, or Us Versus Them,”

portrayed Iraqi citizens all as radical Muslims and demonized them, instead of portraying them
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 12

as victims of an armed conflict. According to the results of Rosas-Moreno, Harp and

Bachmann’s (2013) study, TIME allowed the extremist groups to define the entire population of

Iraq.

Drawing from this study, possible frames that could emerge from the coverage of ISIS in

TIME magazine could be related to how TIME shows the reality, destruction and aftermath of

terrorist attacks, how those of the Islamic faith are portrayed in relation to ISIS and how Western

societies are characterized in the wake of a terrorist attack.

A second study conducted over TIME magazine relevant to this research, once again

covered the visual framing aspect of magazine covers. In 2004, Paragas studied how news is

framed for specific continents for which they are published and how the continents are framed as

news features for local or external consumption, while looking at 101 issues each from TIME

USA, TIME Asia and TIME Europe one year before 9/11 and one year after 9/11. Findings

indicated that global themes across all three continental publications defined an international

agenda on the environment, medicine, celebrity, the economy and the presence of the Middle-

East conflict and the links to 9/11. Tones found were those of seriousness and emotion. In the

months following 9/11, the prevalence of the Middle East conflict rose significantly with

terrorism, Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Saddam Hussein as the focus, showing “that TIME

espouses Americanism, hewing closely to U.S. foreign policy priorities” (Paragas, 2004).

This study introduces a fascinating international framing aspect, which will be helpful

when looking at an international issue like ISIS, but it also brings up an interesting question in

how TIME USA covers international events. Does TIME magazine give fair coverage to ISIS

terrorist events outside of the USA? While this question may not be answered through this study,
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 13

it is a question that could be answered in additional research and certainly inspired research

questions for this study.

Introducing Newsweek Magazine

Newsweek magazine was founded in 1933 as TIME’s “first legitimate competition”

(Baranowski, 2013) by former foreign-news editor of TIME magazine, Thomas J.C. Martyn.

Inspired by the work of TIME’s circulation manager, Roy Larsen, Martyn became interested in

the circulations and subscription ventures of TIME. After discussing the “inevitability of

competition” (Newsweek, 2015) of another weekly news magazine with TIME’s founder, Briton

Hadden, the two decided “that TIME should be proud if one of the first Timers actually did the

founding of it” (Newsweek, 2015). The early Newsweek reached a circulation of around 50,000

with a weekly survey of news and analysis. The magazine began ownership changes in 1961

with the Washington Post, followed by American businessman Sidney Harman in 2010 and

finally IBT Media in 2013 (“Newsweek | History, Ownership, & Facts,” n.d.-a). At its peak,

Newsweek reached an “international circulation of more than four million” (“Newsweek |

History, Ownership, & Facts,” n.d.-b). Today, the magazine offers both print and online digital

editions with coverage of American news, international news, politics, health, business, science,

education and entertainment (“Newsweek - New World Encyclopedia,” n.d.).

Newsweek Magazine and Framing

There have been studies conducted over both Newsweek magazine and framing theory.

In relevance to this specific research, one main study emerged from the literature, offering

insight into conducting a successful comparative study of various newsmagazines, as well as

possible framing of war or conflict related articles.

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 14

Schwalbe (2013) researched how TIME, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report

“visually framed the first 16 months of the Iraq War- from the U.S. led invasion until the transfer

of limited sovereignty to Iraq’s provisional government” (Schwalbe, 2013). Through an analysis

of 2, 258 war-related images published throughout the magazines from March 19, 2003 to June

8, 2004, she found frames related to conflict, the violence of war, human interest, politicians,

antiwar protests, media self-referential, looting and oil resources.

Among the top three frames were conflict, politicians and human interest. Schwalbe

(2013) found that conflict was often depicted with images promoting morale, bravery and

sophisticated weaponry among troops, instead of death and destruction. Politicians emerged next,

often promoting images of President Bush and civilian leaders, with a conclusion that U.S. news

media tended to “frame visual coverage in an American-centered way” (Schwalbe, 2013).

Finally, the human-interest frame aligned with previous research, showcasing an emotional angle

to the war story. Overall, while Schwalbe’s study focused on the visual framing aspects of the

war in TIME, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report, her findings could be very

beneficial in terms of what type of content both TIME and Newsweek promote in their media

coverage of ISIS.

Research Questions

TIME, Newsweek and U.S. News and World Report rank as the “big three American

News magazines” (“Newsweek - New World Encyclopedia,” n.d.). However, as TIME ranks as

the world’s most widely circulated and longest-running newsmagazine (Paragas, 2004) and

Newsweek ranks as the “second-largest weekly magazine in the United States” (“Newsweek -

New World Encyclopedia,” n.d.) behind TIME, these two serve as the focus of this research,

excluding U.S. News and World Report. Additionally, the lack of research specifically focusing
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 15

on the framing of ISIS in TIME and Newsweek magazines make this study important to the

journalism research world in the current era. Thus, research questions for this study include:

RQ1: What frames emerge through the coverage of ISIS in both TIME magazine and
Newsweek magazine following the November 2015 France attacks?

RQ2: What is the dominant tone of the coverage of ISIS in both TIME and Newsweek?

Methodology

The researcher conducted a comparative content analysis to analyze how TIME magazine

and Newsweek magazine framed ISIS in the wake of the Nov. 13, 2015 Paris, France attacks.

The sample articles were chosen from 15 TIME magazine issues, accessed through the TIME

VAULT database online, as well as from 17 Newsweek magazine issues, accessed through the

Newsweek Archive database online, for a total of 32 magazine issues. Both of these online

databases were accessed through subscriptions, as no local libraries had digital additions or hard

copies of the specific date range of magazines needed.

The TIME magazine dates ranged from Nov. 16, 2015 the issue released after the Paris,

France ISIS attacks, to March 21, 2016, the issue released before the Brussels, Belgium ISIS

attack. The Newsweek magazine dates ranged from Nov. 20, 2015, the issue released after the

Paris, France ISIS attacks, to March 18, 2016, the issue released before the Brussels, Belgium

ISIS attack.

The Paris, France ISIS attacks, which occurred on Nov. 13, 2015, consisted of eight

separate events, killing 137 people and injuring 413 (“Incident Summary for GTDID:

201511130002,” n.d.). This made this terrorist attack the second largest on the Western world

since the Sept. 11, 2001 Twin Towers (Farrell, 2015). The date range was chosen so that the
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 16

researcher could conduct a comparative qualitative analysis to assess how two major United

States newsmagazines portrayed ISIS in the wake of such a large-scale attack, before any other

coverage from other major attacks on the Western world, such as Brussels, Belgium, were

covered.

Article Selection

After selecting the 15 issues from the TIME VAULT database, each issue was opened to

the ‘web version’ revealing a list of every article included in the magazine issue. Each article in

the magazine was opened, which totaled to 540 across all 15 issues. Using the ‘find function’ on

the keyboard (CTRL+F), the keywords ISIS, IS, IL, Daesh, terrorism, Islam and Muslim were

searched throughout each article. These keywords were decided based on the previous research

conducted by Satti (2015) and Sultan (2016). If a keyword was present, the article was saved in a

PDF format, resulting in a total of 84 articles. To narrow the sample size, the researcher read

each article. While a majority of the articles directly mentioned ISIS, some were merely brief

statements or sentences. Therefore, if the main idea of the article was not related to ISIS, the

article was discarded. The final sample size to be analyzed yielded to 33. These 33 articles are

presented in Table 1 on the next page.

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 17
TABLE 1: Relevant articles within each TIME magazine issue
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 18

The selection process for Newsweek took place in the same format. After selecting the 17

issues from the Newsweek Archive database, each issue was clicked, revealing a table of

contents for every article within the issue. Each article was opened, which totaled to 275 across

the 17 issues. Using the ‘find function’ on the keyboard (CTRL+F) and the same keywords

previously mentioned, a total of 71 articles were saved in PDF format. After further review of

each article and their relation to the topic of ISIS, the sample size was narrowed down for a total

of 30. These 30 articles are listed in Table 2.

TABLE 2: Relevant articles within each Newsweek magazine issue

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 19

Frame and Tone Analysis

The total number of TIME and Newsweek magazine issues analyzed throughout the

research process yielded to 32, while the final sample of magazine articles yielded to 63. These

63 articles were read through to identify the overarching frame portrayed by their respective

publication, as well as the tone of each frame. Some articles were listed in only one frame, while

others were listed in multiple. The tone of the identified frame was coded as positive, negative or

neutral based on their discussion of ISIS.

As stated previously in the literature review, Satti’s 2015 study of ISIS and framing in

two news sources provided the preliminary frames for this study. These include: Islamic

fundamentalism, religious intolerance and differences, crimes against humanity, the aggressive

nature of ISIS, the desire for peace from the international community, religious intolerance,

aggressive nature of the coalition forces and humanitarian efforts. However, throughout this

study, the potential for additional frames to be found is present.

Findings and Discussion

The following section provides a deeper discussion into the findings for each frame found

within the 63 TIME and Newsweek magazine articles analyzed. From the predefined frames, six

were present. These include: aggressive nature of ISIS, Islamic fundamentalism, religious

differences and intolerance, crimes against humanity, desire for peace and religious tolerance.

Additionally, three new frames were found: US efforts, Middle East migrants and refugees and

international community against ISIS. Tables three and four portray the categorization for frame
 Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 20

and tone for TIME. Tables five and six portray the categorization for frame and tone for

Newsweek. Tables seven and eight portray the categorization for both publications combined.

TABLE 3: Categorization of each of the articles under the specified frame and tone in TIME magazine, keeping in mind
some articles portrayed more than one framing and tone category

Mentions in TIME Magazine

9. International
Community
8. Middle East Against ISIS
Migrants and 3%
Refugees 1. Aggressive
8% Nature of ISIS
25% TABLE 4:
Indicates the
7. US Efforts percentages of
20% each frame
found in
2. Islamic relation to the
6. Religious Fundamentalism total frames of
Tolerance 20%
2%
TIME

5. Desire for 3. Religious

4. Crimes Against Differences and
Peace Humanity
6% Intolerance
10% 6%
 Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 21

TABLE 5: Categorization of each of the articles under the specified frame and tone in Newsweek magazine, keeping in
mind some articles portrayed more than one framing and tone category

Mentions in Newsweek Magazine

9. International
Community 1. Aggressive
Against ISIS Nature of ISIS
22% 28%
TABLE 6:
Indicates the
percentages of
8. Middle East 2. Islamic each frame
Migrants and Fundamentalism
found in
Refugees 10%
6% relation to the
total frames of
3. Religious Newsweek
7. US Efforts
22% Differences and
Intolerance
2%

6. Relgious 4. Crimes Against

Tolerance Humanity
2% 6%
5. Desire for
Peace
2%
 Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 22

TABLE 7: Categorization of each of the articles under the specified frame and tone for both TIME and Newsweek
magazines, keeping in mind some articles portrayed more than one framing and tone category

Frames for TIME and Newsweek

9. International
Community
Against ISIS 1. Aggressive
12% Nature of ISIS
8. Middle East 26%
Migrants and
Refugees TABLE 8:
7% Indicates the
7. US Efforts percentages of
21% each frame
found in
2. Islamic
relation to the
Fundamentalism
15% total frames of
both TIME and
Newsweek
6. Relgious 3. Religious combined
Tolerance Differences and
2% Intolerance
5. Desire for 4%
4. Crimes Against
Peace
Humanity
5%
8%
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 23

Aggressive Nature of ISIS Frame

The aggressive nature of ISIS frame was defined by any articles discussing the number of

people killed or injured by ISIS attacks, the severity of the attacks, the advancement of the group

into new territories or the increased technological advancements ISIS is utilizing for both

recruitment efforts and attacks. Of the eight frames found throughout this research, the

aggressive nature of ISIS was the most prominent, with a total of 29 mentions and 26 percent of

the ISIS coverage throughout TIME and Newsweek magazines. With 26 of the 29 mentions, the

tone of the frame was found to be overwhelmingly negative. The remaining three mentions were

classified as neutral, with hints of both positivity and negativity throughout the articles.

On Nov. 30, 2015, TIME ran an article with a headline ‘How to Beat ISIS’ (Time,

2015h), which portrayed ISIS as a global threat using words and phrases such as “a problem

from hell,” “victims of madmen,” “bloodbath” and “gloating ISIS spokesman” (TIME, 2015h).

The article gives a direct quote from an ISIS spokesperson, “If you are not able to find an IED or

a bullet, then single out the disbelieving American, Frenchman or any of his allies. Smash his

head with a rock, or slaughter him with a knife or run him over with your car” (TIME, 2015h).

The article supplies additional quotes and phrases, similar to these examples, alluding to an

intense negative tone to the aggressive nature of ISIS. Another article published in the same Nov.

30, 2015 issue of TIME entitled ‘Former CIA Director- ISIS Will Strike America,’ (TIME,

2015m) discusses that an attack on America by ISIS is eminent. The group has garnered the

ability to radicalize young Americans, convincing them to conduct attacks on American soil.

Furthermore, the group has grown from “nothing a year ago [to a terrorist organization with]

militant groups in nearly 20 countries that have sworn allegiance to ISIS” (TIME, 2015m). For

further examples of this aggressive nature of ISIS frame, the researchers turned to the Dec. 21,
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 24

2015 issue of TIME, which introduced TIME’s person of the year and six runners-up. As first

runner-up, Abu Bakr al-Baghdad, the head of ISIS, was featured. The article entitled ‘TIME

Person of the Year 2015: Runner-Up: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi,’ (TIME, 2015t) quoted statistics

about ISIS’s targets in the year of 2015. “ISIS has killed more than 1,200 civilian victims outside

of Iraq and Syria this year while luring in a steady stream of recruits to the so-called Islamic

state” (TIME, 2015t). The article also discusses the lifestyle of the pronounced “holy-man”

(TIME, 2015t). During an interrogation with an ISIS logistic officer’s wife, the woman admitted

“she ran the operation that turned captured women and girls into sex slaves for ISIS soldiers,”

(TME, 2015t) further revealing that this was the case for an American aid worker who had been

captured and turned into al-Baghdadi’s own personal slave. These insights to the life of al-

Baghdadi and ISIS provide a further negative tone representation that dominates this frame.

Additionally, the presentation of al-Baghdadi as a person of the year candidate allows the public

to gain insight into the prominence of ISIS in the world today, as well as the damage the

organization is doing through each additional attack.

In the Nov. 20, 2015 issue of Newsweek, the publication ran an article entitled ‘The New

Monument Men Outsmart ISIS,’ (Newsweek, 2015a) which discussed preservation efforts

research teams in the Middle East are conducting to restore historical temples and artifacts ISIS

has destroyed. The article states “After the shrines are exploded, the sites themselves are

bulldozed and wiped clean [by ISIS] in order to physically erase their memory” (Newsweek,

2015a). Although the overall articles seem to have a positive outlook on reconstructing

monuments that have been destroyed, the destruction caused by ISIS towards these artifacts give

this a negative tone. An article published in the Nov. 27, 2015 Newsweek issue was titled ‘Paris

Attacks Show 9/11 Changed Everything and Nothing,’ (Newsweek, 2015d). While discussing
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 25

the atrocities of the attacks, the Paris police forces were called “some of the best police officers

in the world…facing a determined, dexterous enemy that will not be defeated quickly”

(Newsweek, 2015d). This idea of an uneasy defeat brought about negative tones as the article

continued to talk about the struggle of facing ISIS.

Islamic Fundamentalism Frame

As Satti (2015) stated, “Essentially, the fight against [ISIS] is one against

fundamentalism. As such, the tendency was always to depict [ISIS] in an Islamic fundamentalist

frame.” This frame was identified in any article with a theme pertaining to the opposition of

Western ways of life and values and the efforts to eradicate what the organization of ISIS

perceives to be as the source of corruption in the world, the West. This frame was mentioned 17

times throughout the 63 articles, with 15 percent of coverage throughout the two publications.

The Islamic fundamentalism frame was portrayed as negative 15 of the 17 times, as well as

positive once and neutral once.

In the Dec. 28, 2015 TIME issue, an article entitled ‘Homeland Security, ISIS and the

Fight Against Fear’ depicts that fear of terrorism has become so prominent in the world today

because of ISIS’s ability to recruit and attack without any awareness from those outside the

organization. The article states “the enemy lives peacefully in nearby neighborhoods and hides

behind core values of family, free speech, religion, gun ownership and privacy” (TIME, 2015y).

By recruiting from inside the Western world, ISIS infiltrates society and launches its surprise

attacks without any prior suspicions. An article from the Nov. 23, 2015 issue of TIME entitled

‘A More Dangerous ISIS Is Now the Ultimate Terrorist Group,’ (TIME, 2015b) explains that

ISIS has accomplished a task that al-Qaeda never could, as it has become “a movement that

inspires volunteers” (TIME, 2015b). The inclusion of al-Baghdadi’s call to arms provides a
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 26

further representation of the Islamic Fundamentalism as it states to “come so that you may be

honored and esteemed, living as masters with dignity” (TIME, 2015b). Additionally, the negative

portrayal of the desires of ISIS is shown in an article from the Nov. 30, 2015 issue entitled

‘Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy,’ (TIME, 2015k) which

states “Our enemies have a plan. They want to divide the world between Muslims and non-

Muslims, and between the defenders and attackers of Islam” (TIME, 2015k). Another article

from the Nov. 30, 2015 issue, ‘Kamel Daoud: ISIS’s Lineage of Terror,’ (TIME, 2015g) stated

that while defending their ideals of jihad, “they attack in the name of God” and while the recruits

themselves may be killed, “their ideas and their motivations” (TIME, 2015g) live on.

Newsweek portrayed the Islamic fundamentalism frame in the Dec. 4, 2015 issue in an

article headlined ‘What the Bamako Attack Means for Mali- and France’ (Newsweek, 2015l).

This negative portrayal of ISIS came about through the discussion of how the return of Mali’s

Islamic militants serves as a reminder that ISIS members blend in easily to their environments

and are ready to attack and “sacrifice their lives for jihad” (Newsweek, 2015l). An article with a

headline ‘To Defeat ISIS, Know Thy Terrorist’ (Newsweek, 2015o) in the Dec. 11, 2015 issue

expressed that ISIS has no real allies. The group is destructive and “wants to force people to

choose sides” (Newsweek, 2015o) either for or against them. This ‘for or against’ message is

further portrayed in an article discussing how Jewish people living in Paris are fleeing for

London because of the extremist attacks occurring on their people for not having the same

Islamic beliefs. This article was entitled ‘France’s Jews are Fleeing Paris for London’

(Newsweek, 2015w) and occurred in the Feb. 12, 2016 issue of Newsweek.
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 27

Religious Differences and Intolerance Frame

The religious differences and intolerance frame was mentioned five times throughout the

63 articles with four percent of the ISIS coverage in both TIME and Newsweek. Four were

categorized as negative, while one remained neutral. At the beginning of the study, the frame

was defined by ISIS’ intolerance of other religions besides Islam. However, throughout the

research process, the idea of intolerance from ISIS became included in the Islamic

fundamentalism frame, while this frame of religious differences and intolerance came to be

defined as the religious intolerance and differences portrayed by people of the West towards

those of the Islamic faith that are not affiliated with ISIS.

In the Dec. 28, 2015 issue of TIME, an article entitled ‘An American Muslim

Community Shares Its Story’ (TIME, 2015x) provides various examples of the intolerance

shown to those of the Islamic faith because of the radicalization of ISIS. Two examples include:

“Every Muslim is a terrorist” and “There is no way of knowing how many ISIS agents will be

hiding among them” (TIME, 2015x). An additional example of the religious differences and

intolerance frame comes from the Feb. 1, 2016 issue of TIME. An article entitled ‘Germany’s

Migrant Assault Scandal and Europe’s Refugee Challenge’ (TIME, 2015bb), discussed that

people seemed to turn away from welcoming Muslim refugees from their war-torn countries in

the wake of a New Years’ Eve incident, where migrants and refugees drunkenly assaulted and

robbed women around various European cities. Although this was not an attack conducted by

ISIS, many Europeans have begun to link the Islamic extremist mentality with the mentality of

Muslim refugees in general. An activist group under the name ‘Patriotic Europeans Against the

Islamization of the West’ was formed and several other vigilante groups have taken it upon

themselves to harass migrants and protect from “Islamist intruders” (TIME, 2015bb).
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 28

This frame was only portrayed by Newsweek in one article headlined ‘Donald Trump:

The American Stereotype Europeans Love to Hate,’ (Newsweek, 2015r) which occurred in the

Dec. 25, 2015 issue. The article explained that the “ugly American is back” (Newsweek, 2015r).

This ugly American reference to Donald Trump came after he called for a “total and complete

shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” (Newsweek, 2015r). In doing so, the

presidential candidate alienated more than a billion people, which translated to an increase in

“nasty feelings about Islam and similar feelings about Muslims” (Newsweek, 2015r) that were

shown in opinion polls. Additionally, the article states that by making these harsh statements

towards Muslims and the religion of Islam, Trump is only “[validating] Al-Qaeda and ISIS”

(Newsweek, 2015r).

Crimes Against Humanity Frame

The crimes against humanity frame was identified in any article with a theme pertaining

to the terrorist organization of ISIS disturbing and intruding on the daily lives of people in

various countries around the world by their attacks. This frame was identified nine times, with

eight percent of the coverage of ISIS. All nine mentions portrayed a negative tone.

Perhaps the strongest example of this frame, came from an article in the Nov. 30, 2015

issue of TIME entitled ‘Why the World Weeps for Paris’ (TIME, 2015c). The article discusses

“the world’s most visited and idealized city” (TIME, 2015c) was targeted for that very reason by

ISIS. The terrorist group came “to strike at levity, joy, sport, music and youth” (TIME, 2015c)

when they carried out the eight separate attacks in November 2015. Another example comes

from the same issue in an article entitled ‘The Hardest Question: Explaining the Paris Attacks to

My Child’ (TIME, 2015d), in which the first line is “Mama, where kids killed?” (TIME, 2015d),

alluding to a loss of innocence as children try to understand why the events unfolded. The article
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 29

states that the events targeted the “most normal of people- the drinkers, the concert-goers, the

soccer fans” (TIME, 2015d), encompassing the infringement on normal, daily activities by ISIS.

This frame emerged in the Dec. 18, 2015 issue of Newsweek in an article headlined ‘San

Bernardino Shootings Signal New Tactics in Terror,’ (Newsweek, 2015p) which discussed the

psychological impact the shootings had because it validated a fear of new terrorism that

government officials have had since 9/11. As the article stated, this fear means that “[Terror and

ISIS] can hit anywhere, at any time. And in doing so, [it] can bring your way of life to a halt”

(Newsweek, 2015p). The California shootings, which occurred at an office Christmas party and

were carried out by a husband and wife, “revealed a new face of terror in America” (Newsweek,

2015p).

Desire for Peace Frame

The desire for peace frame was identified as any article relating to peace, no matter which

angle it came from. In some instances, articles portrayed themes of ISIS undermining peace

efforts, while others portrayed the longing for violence to stop with order restored so that people

could feel safe. This frame was mentioned five times, with five percent of both TIME and

Newsweek coverage. The articles under this frame were categorized with one positive tone, two

negative tone and two neutral tones.

Under this frame, TIME published a story in the Feb. 15, 2016 issue with a headline

‘Obstacles on the Road to Peace in Syria’ and a statement “A triple bombing near Damascus that

killed at least 45 people on Jan. 31 serves as a reminder that jihadi groups are ready to undermine

any deal” (TIME, 2016dd). This example showed the negative tone of the frame, as it alludes to

peace efforts being shut down by the increasing attacks by ISIS. Another TIME article published
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 30

in the Nov. 30, 2015 issue with a headline ‘Marine Le Pen: How France Will Conquer the

Enemies of Liberty’ stated “Many in the world know that a strong France, faithful to itself and

master of its own destiny, is indispensable to world peace. Let us stand together” (TIME, 2015f).

This example showed the positive tone of the desire for peace frame, as it portrayed France as a

country rallying together with other forces to stand strong against a terrorist group that seeks to

destroy.

Newsweek’s portrayal of the desire for peace frame occurred only one time. In the Nov.

20, 2015 issue, the article entitled ‘Putin’s Crash Test: Downed Russian Jetliner Could Signal the

President’s Next Big Strike,’ (Newsweek, 2015c) quoted a 19-year old medical student in

response to the 224 Russian tourists killed by ISIS in the MetroFlight 9268 crash on Oct. 31,

2015. The student said “Our media tells us that Ukrainians and Russians should hate each other,

but see how hatred kills innocents. We weep with you, brothers and sisters” (Newsweek, 2015c).

This article was classified as a negative desire for peace frame because of the referral to hate and

sadness that ISIS caused in the aftermath of the crash.

Religious Tolerance Frame

Religious tolerance was a frame that emerged twice throughout the 63 articles, both with

positive tones. TIME portrayed this frame one time in the Dec. 28, 2015 issue in the article ‘An

American Muslim Community Shares Its Story’ (TIME, 2015x). Throughout the article, the

Virginia family shares what life has been like as an American Muslim since ISIS has become so

prominent. While some of the article explains the complete intolerance that Americans have

shown towards them, a majority explains how others have reached out to let them know they are

loved and cared for as Americans, regardless of their religious beliefs. In one example, the

family shares that while being in town one day, “a man fumbled with his cell phone and read
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 31

‘Assalam Alaykum’ (peace be to you). He explained that he had practiced it ‘so that if he saw a

Muslim lady, he could greet her peacefully and respectfully” (TIME, 2015x). The article

proceeds with various other examples of Americans, including veterans and active military in the

Middle East, supporting Muslim communities and families.

Newsweek portrayed the religious tolerance frame one time, also with a positive tone.

This occurred in the Dec. 11, 2016 issue in the section entitled ‘Big Shots: Brothers and Sisters,’

(Newsweek, 2015n) in which upon Pope Francis’ last day of his African tour, he bowed to

mecca, Islam’s holy city and said “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters. Together, we

must say no to hatred…perpetrated in the name of a religion or of God himself” (Newsweek,

2015n).

US Efforts Frame

US efforts was not a predetermined frame, rather it emerged as a frame throughout the

research process. This frame became defined by articles discussing US policies, US military

intervention, the US working with the international community and US presidential candidates.

It was mentioned 23 times, with 21 percent of the coverage of ISIS, making it the second most

dominant frame. Out of these 23 mentions, four were positive, 12 were negative and seven were

neutral.

In the Nov. 30, 2015 TIME issue, an article entitled ‘The 2016 Candidates Need

Thoughtful Strategies on ISIS-Soon’ discusses the importance of the US presidential candidates

to figure out their stance and their policies for ISIS. The article criticized both Democratic and

Republican candidates for either not grasping the severity of ISIS as a global threat, their failure

to address the issue directly to the public or their failure to “produce a coherent plan” (TIME,
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 32

2015e). The same issue also included an article entitled ‘How to Beat ISIS’ (TIME, 2015h). The

article discusses that “terror is the new normal” (TIME, 2015h), while also criticizing President

Obama’s efforts and strategies of “intensification” (TIME, 2015h). The article states “what the

world needs from Obama is not his chilly acceptance, however, but a stirring call to action” to

fight the extremists. Both articles serve as negative examples for tone. As a positive portrayal of

US Efforts, the Dec. 28, 2015 issue hosts the article ‘Hillary Clinton Is Strong on Fighting ISIS-

but Democrats Don’t Seem to Care,’ (TIME, 2015w) which describes the publics’ lack of

questioning about ISIS for Clinton despite her “tough, detailed proposals for fighting” (TIME,

2015w) the extremist group. The article goes on to say that Clinton’s efforts in combatting ISIS,

which included “embedding U.S. troops with the Iraqi army” (TIME, 2015w) provide “a more

comprehensive effort” than all the Republican candidates combined. This article was one of two

found that praised a political leader or political power in their efforts in fighting ISIS. The

second, ‘8 Steps to Defeating ISIS,’ (TIME, 2015j) occurred in the Nov. 30, 2015 issue of TIME,

and provided an outline of “key elements” (TIME, 2015j) needed to defeat ISIS. The plan would

be headed by NATO to “build a campaign plan, find the right mix of allies and partners and go to

work” (TIME, 2015j).

Newsweek portrayed this frame in an article entitled ‘To Defeat ISIS, Know Thy

Terrorist,’ (Newsweek, 2015o) which occurred in the Dec. 11, 2015 issue. Criticizing Marco

Rubio’s attempt to terrify ISIS by saying “We will look for you, we will find you and we will kill

you,” (Newsweek, 2015o) the article states that in sharing these ‘promises,’ the politician is

simply exciting ISIS and bringing them joy. This is the discourse ISIS utilizes to promote their

ideologies against the West. A positive example of the framing of US efforts occurred in the

issue on Jan. 15, 2016 (Newsweek, 2016v) in an article entitled ‘Big Shots: Ramadi Reclaimed’
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 33

(Newsweek, 2016v). The article discussed that with the backing of the United States military, the

Iraq government hopes to reclaim Mosul back from ISIS, much like they reclaimed Ramadi.

International Community Against ISIS Frame

Throughout the research process, a new frame emerged involving international actors,

both governmental and nongovernmental, in their fight against ISIS. This frame, international

community against ISIS, became defined as any power, other than the United States, taking a

stand and working to defeat the Islamic State. While many of the articles discussed help from the

United States, the main theme was a portrayal of various countries around the globe discussing

their ability, thought or plan to defeat ISIS, thus creating a new frame category separate from US

efforts. It was mentioned 13 times across both TIME and Newsweek, with 12 percent of the

coverage. Five mentions were positive, while eight were negative.

TIME portrayed this frame in an article headlined ‘Marine La Pen: How France Will

Conquer the Enemies of Liberty,’ (TIME, 2015f) which occurred in the Nov. 30, 2015 issue.

Stating her plan for combatting ISIS, La Pen explains, “We need to work with Russia, Syria and

Iran as well as other foreign powers including the United States which are fighting radical Islam”

(TIME, 2015f). La Pens’ article discusses the need to stand with the international community to

stop and “defeat” (TIME, 2015f) fundamentalism.

Newsweek provided the dominant article supply for this frame. One article, ‘Paris

Attacks Show 9/11 Changed Everything and Nothing,’ (Newsweek, 2015d) occurred in the Nov.

27, 2015 issue and discussed the act of war ISIS declared on Paris upon committing the eight

attacks. French President Francois Hollande “vowed to be merciless in response [and] within 48

hours, France had dramatically stepped up its airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria”
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 34

(Newsweek, 2015d). In a similar state of mind, was President Obama as he initiated efforts to

“degrade and ultimately defeat” (Newsweek, 2015d) the extremist group. A Newsweek article

headlined ‘Can Hackers Western Security Services Win the Online War Against ISIS?’

(Newsweek, 015i) in the Dec. 4, 2015 issue stated that “keyboard warriors-some on government

payrolls, other working on their own time- are trying to degrade and destroy the group’s online

propaganda efforts.” A success story within the article came from Ghost Security Group who

claimed to have uncovered, and ultimately stopped, attacks planned for Tunisia, New York and

Saudi Arabia. This article gives insight that the international community is not only fighting ISIS

with retaliation measures through bombings and attacks in the Middle East, but also with

attempted preventative measures to stop an extension of online recruiting and planning.

Middle East Migrants and Refugees Frame

The Middle East migrants and refugees frame emerged as the research was conducted.

With the ongoing conflicts occurring in Syria and an influx of refugees fleeing to European

countries for safety, the frame was present in several articles discussing both the acceptance of

these migrants and the fear of allowing migrants to stay in one’s country. The frame was

mentioned eight times, or seven percent of the ISIS coverage in both TIME and Newsweek. Six

mentions were negative, while two remained neutral.

The Nov. 23, 2015 issue of TIME hosted an article, ‘Why the Migrant Issue Divides

Europe,’ (TIME, 2015a) discussing two sides of European beliefs- one in which Europeans share

burdens and one in which each nation should solve its own problems. The divide has intensified

as a result of the “tidal wave” (TIME, 2015a) of migrants, as well as the “ISIS-age anxieties they

provoke” (TIME, 2015a). A second article, occurring in the Dec. 14, 2015 issue, with the

headline ‘Syrian Refugees in the U.S. Feel a Backlash,’ (TIME, 2015p) portrayed the Middle
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 35

East migrants and refugees frame. Telling the story of a refugee family who found asylum in

Dallas, Texas, the father stated “I want [my neighbors] to know the Syrian people are not

terrorists. We are against ISIS. We don’t support them. They are a criminal organization. Syrian

citizens are the ones paying the price” (TIME, 2015p). Both above articles fell under tones of

neutrality because of the associations of ISIS with the migrant issue. Lastly, the article ‘The

Forces Fueling the Rise of France’s Far Right’ (TIME, 2015q) in the Dec. 14, 2015 issue quotes

the president of the far-right political party, Marine Le Pen, who called for “borders to be closed

and for migrants to be deported” (TIME, 2015q) in the wake of the ISIS attacks on Paris. This

article fell under the negative tone category, as it blames migrants for the ISIS attacks that

occurred.

Furthermore, Newsweek portrayed the negative tones of this frame through an article

entitled ‘Paris Attacks Show 9/11 Changed Everything and Nothing’ (Newsweek, 2015d) in the

Nov. 27, 2015 issue. In relation to the Paris attacks, the article discussed the fear that intelligence

police officers had about the “likelihood that amid the refugees would be soldiers of ISIS, ready

to attack” (Newsweek, 2015d). Additionally, the article commented that there is need for the

“strain of Islam that leads young men to fight [to be] eliminated,” (Newsweek, 2015d) for the

attacks to stop.

Conclusions

The researcher’s goal throughout this study was to analyze common framing techniques

that emerged in relation to ISIS as two major United States newsmagazines, TIME and

Newsweek, published their weekly issues throughout the months following the Paris, France

ISIS attacks that occurred in November 2015. Emergent frames included the aggressive nature of

ISIS, Islamic fundamentalism, religious differences and intolerance, crimes against humanity,
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 36

desire for peace, religious tolerance, U.S. efforts, Middle East migrants and refugees and the

international community against ISIS. Dominating frames included the aggressive nature of ISIS

with 29 article mentions, U.S. efforts with 23 article mentions and Islamic fundamentalism with

17 article mentions. Overall, of the 111-total frame mentions in the 63 articles, 82 were portrayed

with negative tones, 16 were portrayed with neutral tones and 13 were portrayed with positive

tones. As these results were in alignment with the study Satti (2015) conducted, it “is not

surprising, given that ISIS’s agenda seems to be an aggressive one that seeks to threaten its

opposition and to control those standing in its way.”

Additionally, comparing the type of coverage by TIME with that of Newsweek, it should

be noted that 26 of the 33 TIME articles were published within a month and a half of the Paris,

France attacks. They were also mostly negative, which can be explained because of the threat

ISIS placed on the Western world, as well as the undermining the organization did on the daily

lives of people with those specific attacks. The Newsweek articles were dispersed more evenly

throughout the time frame of the selected issues. It should be noted that Newsweek also focused

more on the facts and figures of the forces against ISIS, while TIME tended to report stories with

an emotional appeal towards humanity.

Finally, in support of the study conducted by Schwalbe (2013), the emergence of the

dominant U.S. efforts frame can be attributed back to how the U.S. news media portrays war in

an “American-centered way” (Schwalbe, 2013). Related to this frame, the focus was on the 2016

presidential candidates, the lack of US strategy to defeat ISIS and ways in which the United

States could step up to defeat the extremist group.

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 37

Limitations and Further Research

Limitations for this study were certainly present. One limitation was the lack of

availability for hard copies of each TIME magazine issue for these specific dates. The researcher

utilized the TIME Vault database in lieu of this so that entire issues could be analyzed as a whole

instead of spiritic articles on an online database, such as LexisNexis. However, PDF versions of

these specific issues were also not available on the TIME Vault database. Therefore, while the

articles were still combined under the publication date, a detailed table of contents with section

headers was not available like it was for the digital versions of Newsweek. This presented a

challenge because the researcher was not able to analyze the prominence of the article within the

issue to depict the importance of the identified frame. Furthermore, there were two issues that

were not available for access via the TIME Vault database online, which could have provided a

larger sample size for additional analyzing.

While there are studies comparing TIME and Newsweek on various issues, the framing

of ISIS is a topic that is void in the literature. This created a unique opportunity for this study to

explore the way in which major newsmagazines portray the aggressive force dominating the

news coverage in the present day, ISIS. The frames that emerged provide insight into the danger

ISIS has presented to the Western world, as well as the desperate measures the international

community is willing to take to put an end to the terrorist organization and the harm and

destruction it has caused.

Additionally, the lack of research on this topic provides a great opportunity for additional

research to be conducted. One suggestion, specifically focused on TIME, is a comparison

between TIME USA and TIME Europe’s coverage of ISIS, focusing on who each publication

portrays as the dominating force against ISIS- the USA or European countries. Another
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 38

suggestion that could further this specific study of TIME, Newsweek, framing and ISIS, would

be to explore the use of episodic frames, frames focused on single events with negative

stereotypes, versus thematic frames, frames focused on in-depth coverage of an event reducing

the negative stereotype.

Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 39

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-(2015b) A More Dangerous ISIS is Now the Ultimate Terrorist Group
-(2015c) Why the World Weeps for Paris:
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-(2015e) The 2016 Candidates Need Thoughtful Strategies on ISIS- Soon
-(2015f) Marine Le Pen: How France Will Conquer the Enemies of Liberty
-(2015g) Kamel Daoud: ISIS's Lineage of Terror
-(2015h) How to Beat ISIS
-(2015i) Jihadi John
-(2015j) 8 Steps to Defeating ISIS
-(2015k) Madeleine Albright: ISIS Wants Us to Think Refugees Are the Enemy
-(2015l) Can Silicon Valley Help Beat ISIS?
-(2015m) Former CIA Director: ISIS Will Strike America
-(2015n) How Terror Could Kill the European Project
-(2015o) Six Steps to Building an ISIS Strategy
-(2015p) Syrian Refugees in the U.S. Feel a Backlash
Framing ISIS in TIME and Newsweek 43

-(2015q) The Forces Fueling the Rise of France's Far Right

-(2015r) The TSA and the Price of Security
-(2015s) Why Turkey Went Back to Erdogan
-(2015t) Person of the Year Runner-Up: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
-(2015u) The Absence of Global Leadership Will Shape a Tumultuous 2016
-(2015v) The Arab Spring Turns Five
-(2015w) Hilary Clinton Is Strong on Fighting ISIS - but Democrats Don't Seem to Care
-(2015x) An American Muslim Community Shares Its Story
-(2015y) Homeland Security, ISIS and the Fight Against Fear
-(2015z) James Murdoch on Media in 2016
-(2016aa) The Top 5 Geopolitical Risks for 2016
-(2016bb) Germany's Migrant Assault Scandal and Europe's Refugee Challenge
-(2016cc) A Fight for the Future of Evangelical Christianity at Wheaton
-(2016dd) Obstacles on the Road to Peace in Syria
-(2016ee) Review: Peter Bergen's United States of Jihad
-(2016ff) How Our War with ISIS Is Going
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