What is it about?
This study extends the analytical scope of discourse truth to written news formats. Specifically, it achieves three objectives: (1) defining discourse truth’s parameters used in written news discourse; (2) refining and validating its theoretical framework; and (3) identifying similarities and differences in discourse truth construction between CNN and Fox News outlets. Besides, this study interrogates how discourse truth shapes perceptions of truth in an era rife with disinformation, thereby offering insights for media practitioners and policymakers to navigate across complex digital media ecosystems.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Using the UAM CorpusTool, this study applies the framework of discourse truth to analysing a corpus of 160 news articles, totaling 142,894 words, collected from the websites of Cable News Network (CNN) and Fox News. The analysis highlights three key dimensions of discourse truth: authenticity, neutrality, and authority. Authenticity is primarily constructed through evidentiality (including direct evidence, hearsay, and inference) and quotations (direct or indirect). Neutrality is achieved through third-party attribution (specified or unspecified sources) and low modality (lexical or grammatical). Authority is established through identity credentials (e.g., names, titles, and institutional affiliations) and personalization strategies (i.e., personalizing the experience of subjects, journalists, or audiences). Both CNN and Fox News emphasize authenticity, neutrality, and authority, focusing primarily on the first two aspects, although they differ in their use of specific discourse devices. These findings provide novel insights into how the truth of news is constructed and understood.
Perspectives
The concept of discourse truth and its framework are further examined through the study of digital-based discoruse of news. Based on this framework, future studies may examine how visual and multimodal texts (like images, videos, or fonts) shape what we accept as “truth.” For example, does TV news present facts differently from short videos on TikTok? Do media in other countries use similar strategies, or are there cultural differences? Answering these questions would help researchers, media practitioners, and policymakers tackle today’s “post-truth” challenges.
Dr Debing Feng
Hangzhou Normal University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Authenticity, Neutrality, and Authority: Truth Constructed in the Discourse of News, Journalism Practice, April 2025, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/17512786.2025.2487906.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
