Haiti: a narrative analysis of the 2010 Haiti earthquake in the conservative and mainstream media.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 70-76)This study investigated the news coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake in the conservative media and mainstream media from January 12, 2010 to February 26, 2010. Through narrative analysis it was discovered that the conservative and mainstream news outlets created two similar narratives about Haiti. Both narratives were globally alike, but had different subsets, even though it was anticipated they would be completely different. \ud The conservative news coverage revealed that the Washington Times, the National Review, and Reason Magazine created a narrative that depicted Haiti as a threat to the United States. The mainstream news coverage in the Washington Post and Time Magazine created a narrative that focused on sensationalizing the violence in Haiti as well as suggesting that the earthquake could be parlayed into something positive. The results revealed that the conservative media and the mainstream media narratives were both shaped by foreign policy and political government agendas. Furthermore, both media types portrayed Haitians through traditional stereotypical roles-- that of victims of circumstance or violent individuals