Defining Competence: Assessing the Role of Media Bias in Framing Leadership in the 2024 U.S. Election

Abstract

This thesis examines how CNN and Fox News frame the leadership competence of presidential candidates during the 2024 U.S. presidential election and investigates how these frames might influence public perception. CNN aligns more with Democratic worldviews, while Fox News follows more Republican perspectives. I aim to analyse the ways in which partisan media can shape narratives and reflect broader ideological divides in contemporary American politics. This study employs Goffman’s Framing Theory (1986). The material of this thesis consists of three articles from CNN and three articles from Fox News, which serve as the basis for an inductive frame analysis. The findings of this thesis reveal significant differences in the framing of the presidential candidates and highlights the subjectivity of what is deemed a competent leader. This thesis concludes that media framing can reflect partisan divides and contribute to echo chambers, shaping and maintaining people’s perceptions, as well as have broader societal impacts.