skip to main content

North Korea in the Eye of CNN Online News

Jember University, Indonesia

Received: 15 Jun 2024; Revised: 22 Sep 2024; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025; Available online: 10 Oct 2025; Published: 10 Oct 2024.
Open Access Copyright (c) 2025 PAROLE: Journal of Linguistics and Education under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.

Citation Format:
Abstract

 It is inevitable that there are partialities to certain parties, one of which is news related to North Korea. CNN tends to release news by emphasizing negative aspects of North Korea, such as its nuclear program, human rights violations, and restrictive government policies. This study aims to prove the power of CNN as a media in constructing the image of North Korea. This research is qualitative research because the data used is not numerical data. This research uses the three-dimensional theory of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) by Norman Fairclough. The theory of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) by M.A.K. Halliday is also used as a supporting theory to analyze the first dimension of CDA. The results showed that there is a partiality of CNN to the United States in writing news. Starting from the use of verbs that indicate the occurrence of violence, the existence of negative words, and the conflict factors that occur between the United States and North Korea are supporting aspects of the formation of a negative image of North Korea in public.

Fulltext View|Download
Keywords: CNN, Critical Discourse Analysis, Image, North Korea

Article Metrics:

  1. Armstrong, C. (2008). Necessary Enemies: Anti-Americanism, Juche Ideology, and the Torturous Path to Normalization. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep11125
  2. CNN Official Website. (2024a, January 5). Paula Hancocks Profile. CNN Official Web Page. https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/paula-hancocks
  3. CNN Official Website. (2024b, February 9). Jake Kwon Profile. CNN Official Web Page. https://edition.cnn.com/profiles/jake-kwon#about
  4. Fairclough, N. (1995). Media Discourse. Hodder Arnold
  5. Fairclough, N. (2010). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language (Second Edition). Routledge
  6. Halliday, M. A. K., & Matthiessen, C. (2004). An Introduction to Functional Grammar (Third Edition). Hodder Arnold
  7. Kazemian, B., & Hashemi, S. (2014). Critical discourse analysis of Barack Obama’s 2012 speeches: Views from systemic functional linguistics and Rhetoric. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 4(6), 1178–1187. https://doi.org/10.4304/tpls.4.6.1178-1187
  8. Kotler, P., & Gertner, D. (2002). Country as brand, product, and beyond: A place marketing and brand management perspective. BRAND MANAGEMENT, 9(5), 249–261
  9. Kurbanov, S. O. (2019). North Korea’s juche ideology: indigenous communism or traditional thought? Critical Asian Studies, 51(2), 296–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2019.1566750
  10. Lombardi, D. (2018). Critical Discourse Analysis of online News Headlines: A Case of the Stoneman Douglas High School Shooting. Malmö University
  11. Prayudha, & Fawwaz, M. (2019). Uyghur and China in The American Media Discourse: A Critical Discourse Analysis of CNN News Articles. Critical Discourse Analysis of CNN News Articles. English Language Teaching Educational Journal, 2(3), 121–132
  12. Putra, H. P., & Triyono, S. (2018). Critical Discourse Analysis on Kompas.com News: Gerakan #2019GANTIPRESIDEN. Jurnal Bahasa Dan Sastra, 8 (2), 113–121
  13. Roy, D. (1994). North Korea and the “Madman” Theory. Security Dialogue, 25(3), 307–316. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1177/0967010694025003006
  14. Sari, K., & Pranoto, B. E. (2021). Representation of Government Concerning the Draft of Criminal Code in The Jakarta Post: A Critical Discourse Analysis. PAROLE: Journal of Linguistics and Education, 11(2), 98–113. https://doi.org/10.14710/parole.v11i2.98-113
  15. Stock, F. (2009). Identity, image and brand: A conceptual framework. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 5(2), 118–125. https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2009.2
  16. Sudariyanti, Samudji, & Tallapessy, A. (2013). A Critical Discourse Analysis on Fox News Reports 6 & 7 February 2012. Artikel Hasil Penelitian Mahasiswa, 1(1), 1–6
  17. Tomasino, B., & Rumiati, R. I. (2013). At the Mercy of Strategies: The Role of Motor Representations in Language Understanding. Frontiers in Psychology, 4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00027

Last update:

No citation recorded.

Last update: 2025-10-10 13:34:43

No citation recorded.