ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces different concepts pertaining to framing and representation of different voices and actors in the coverage of the two channels. It offers a detailed analysis of the two channels’ coverage and representation of some of these voices, including governments, healthcare professionals, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations, as well as representation of hospitals and patients. The analysis of the coverage of these voices offers insight into the type of strategies and nature of discourse used by Al-Jazeera and the BBC. By comparing and contrasting the coverage of these actors and stakeholders, we should be able to gain insight into the discourse practices of the two channels during Covid-19. It highlights the impact of media in framing certain voices, which could have detrimental effects on the cohesion and harmony of communities/groups and professionals during a time of crisis. It also highlights the inclusion and exclusion of some voices and potential reasons for different representation of these voices. The analysis consists of a wide range of examples extracted from the corpora, and this is designed to offer a detailed textual analysis as well as a socio-cultural one, drawing on Fairclough’s socio-cultural framework.
