Contrasting Coverage: The Impeachment

For this post, I chose the broad topic articles focused around Trump and the impeachment. I chose this topic simply because there is so much to choose from and you can really see the contrast in different articles written about him by different news organizations. The first article is written by Fox News and is titled: Trump will 'have a place in history' for Capitol riot but remains 'most popular figure' in GOP: Graham said he believes the GOP will come 'roaring back' in 2022. The second article is also discussing Trump's legacy and the GOP as well, but was written by NBC News. The second articles title reads: Liz Cheney calls on GOP to stop 'embracing' Trump ahead of Senate impeachment trial- "This is not something that we can simply look past or pretend didn't happen or try and move on." In this post, I would like to not only highlight the key differences in languages and tones used by the networks, but I would also like to highlight the use of framing in these articles. Framing involves choosing an organizing theme that emphasizes some aspects of a situation while downplaying other information in a story (Bennet, 2016, p.33). These articles both represent a complex situation that is reduced to two competing frames offered by leading politicians and can be depicted as them playing a political game where the goal is to win in support of the correct narrative.

The NBC article begins with Rep. Liz Cheney calling on her colleagues to cut off former President Donald Trump as his second impeachment trial is set to begin this week. Cheney is the third-ranking House Republican, and was one of 10 House Republicans to vote to impeach Trump last month for his role in the Capitol riots. Cheney was censured by her state party after the vote. The article includes a quote by Cheney saying, "We have to take a really hard look at who we are and what we stand for, what we believe in." The article goes on to express her opinion stating, "We have to be in a position where we can say we stand for principles, for ideals. We should not be embracing the former president." The article comments on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy's meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and mentions that ever since this meeting, McCarthy has softened his language about Trumps role in the riot. The article ends with a quote by Cheney, "What we already know does constitute the greatest violation of his oath of office by any president in the history of the country," she said. "And this is not something we can simply look past or pretend didn't happen or try and move on. We've got to make sure this never happens again."

The Fox News article begins with a quote from Lindsey Graham stating that former President Donald Trump will "have a place in history" for his role leading up to the riot at the U.S. Capitol last month, but he still remains the "most popular figure" in the Republican party. The article explains how the South Carolina senator spoke on the impeachment effort against Trump on CBS' "Face the Nation," claiming that Republicans will view is as an "unconstitutional exercise" and that any trial will result in Trump's acquittal. Graham said that the longer it takes to get past impeachment, "the worse off for the country." Trump, who invited supporters to the nation's capital and told them the election could be overturned, did not commit a crime, according to Graham. Despite the Capitol riot, Graham said that Trump is still the face of the GOP and that his policies "served the country well." The article ends with Graham stating that Trump needs to "rehabilitate himself as a politician," and believes that the GOP will come "roaring back" in 2022. 

Both articles are expressing the view of politicians on Trump, the insurrection on the capitol, and the impeachment. Framing is in play in both articles because I believe the both express "how" we should feel. The first article screams at us to simply "move on" about the impeachment and highlights Trump's legacy. The second article pleads for us to hold him accountable, and bashes the GOP for continuing to embrace this man. I will let you guys decide what you think - or rather, let the articles decide for you! Again, simply put, both articles are encouraging different attitudes about the same subject and I believe Framing is in play in both of these. 

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-impeachment-capitol-riot-most-popular-figure-gop-lindsey-graham

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/liz-cheney-calls-gop-stop-embracing-trump-ahead-senate-impeachment-n1256962