Steeled for the challenges: a critical discourse analysis of gendered news frames of Hillary Clinton in battleground coverage of the 2016 Democratic National Convention

ABSTRACT

This project employs framing theory to analyze the gender ideologies present in local coverage of the Democratic Party’s official nomination of Hillary Clinton in battleground counties. By applying framing theory, this study aims to uncover how journalists covered her bid to “win the day” over her male opponents, Democratic challenger Bernie Sanders and Republican nominee (and now president) Donald Trump. The study revealed that the ideological residue related to her “deviant” gender identity shaped journalistic reactions to her nomination as the first female major-party presidential candidate. It argues that it was not Clinton’s identity as the “feminist presidential candidate” but rather her expertise in gender code-switching that encouraged journalists to write flatteringly about her.

KEYWORDS:

• Hillary Clinton
• framing
• campaign journalism
• critical discourse analysis
• gender