This study examines the ideological inflection of the ‘farm killings’ discourse in the Eastern Province Herald articles published in August 1998. ‘Farm killings’ is a media frame which was applied to a spate of killings of people on the country’s farms since 1994. Heightened and sustained media attention on the ‘farm killings’ has lifted the phenomenon from the other ‘run-of-the-mill’ murder crimes, and located it firmly as a matter of public concern and a subject of a broad political and economic debate. In this study I investigate the media coverage of the ‘farm killings’ within the context of these debates. The cultural studies approach to the study of the media provides a fruitful theoretical framework within which this study is located. The ideological examination of the articles is done using the critical linguistics method - a brand of reflexive, interpretative style of analysis which enables a sustained examination of media texts within their social, cultural and historical context. This study’s conclusions pose a challenge to the ‘Fourth Estate’ role often claimed for the media. In particular, it denies that the Herald objectively, fairly and truthfully reflected the experience on the farms during the period of this study. Its main finding is that the newspaper instead, constructed a particular understanding of the killings characterised by subtle racism, bias and partiality.