When it comes to print media coverage, it may not appear surprising that tabloids are usually less neutral than quality papers, trying to influence the reader obviously. Yet how neutral are liberal quality papers exactly? What are possible tricks to still influence the reader subtly, within their frame of journalistic neutrality? If so, what may be possible reasons? This shall be shown at the example of Barack Obama´s inauguration as the 44th US President as a discursive event. Vivian Büttner examines three lead stories each of both British and German daily newspapers, comparing not only interculturally, but also as to their political allegiance and agenda-setting. The methodology applied will be that of a critical discourse analysis (CDA) as recommended by German linguist Siegfried Jäger, whose approach to CDAs has proved to be rather helpful and thorough within what Michel Foucault, one of the pioneers of discourse studies, called a big chaos. As little to no English vocabulary had so far been available concerning Jäger´s terminology, Vivian Büttner offers suggestions of how to translate the German notions. Analyzing and comparing the news coverage of quality papers such as German FAZ and English The Times, the outcome may be quite surprising.
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