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Abstract
This study used critical discourse analysis to examine Anderson Cooper 360° (AC 360) and The O’Reilly Factor coverage of the 2015 Charleston, South Carolina church shootings and the subsequent controversy surrounding the removal of the Confederate Flag from South Carolina government grounds. While AC 360 used a “Good versus Evil” discourse to structure its reportage, suggesting that the shooting represented a series of battles between right and wrong, The O’Reilly Factor used the Charleston tragedy as a launching-off point to defend the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Although both shows drew attention to racism, they ignored the structural context of racism that makes racist violence thrive. Their coverage implied that America has moved into a post-racism era.