A Critical Discourse Analysis of 2019-2020 Iraqi Protests as Represented in Selected Local and International Newspapers

Abstract

In addition to capturing the hearts and minds of Iraqis, the protest movement that ousted Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi—who held office from October 2018 to May 2020—also attracted the attention of both domestic and international media. The purpose of the study is to find out if the four selected newspapers employ language that supports their ideological agendas. It also aims to look at the ways in which local Iraqi newspapers and international newspapers discussed the same protest events that began on October 1, 2019. Over 30,000 people were injured, 3,000 people were arrested, and an estimated 1,000 people died as a result of the demonstrations, marches, civil disobedience, sit-ins, rioting, and online activism that took place during these events. According to the study, the national newspapers Al-Sabaah and Al-Mada regularly overstated the violent activities of protesters. Al-Sabaah appeared to rely on official information at the expense of speaking for protestors, but Al-Mada did not. Furthermore, it omitted information regarding all parties involved. By using particular sources and referencing them directly, exposing the black and white aspects of both sides involved in the dispute, and adopting the side of the protestors and portraying them favorably, The Telegraph and The New York Times, on the other hand, adhered to nonviolent journalism.