This study conducts a critical discourse analysis of Al Jazeera English's coverage of controversies surrounding the treatment of migrant workers in Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup preparations. The research explores Al Jazeera's media bias, focusing on representation, manipulation and ideologisation, sportswashing, and power in media discourse. Employing an adaptive approach, I use Fairclough's Dialectical-Relational Approach and Halliday's textual analysis. This investigation draws from scholarly work in critical discourse analysis and media production theory. Numerous reports from media outlets and human rights organisations have exposed persistent challenges faced by migrant workers in Qatar, including wage theft and poor working conditions. This thesis acknowledges the role of media in shaping public perception and political agendas, highlighting Al Jazeera's unique position as a government-owned media outlet. The study's methodology involves critical discourse analysis in three stages: micro-level text analysis, meso-level discourse practice analysis, and macro-level sociohistorical context analysis. The analysis results reveal the presence of media bias in Al Jazeera's coverage, with specific articles reflecting the Qatari government's perspective. In contrast, others emphasise the challenges faced by migrant workers. This suggests that Al Jazeera oscillates between objective reporting and government influence with a higher tendency to take Qatar´s stand in certain aspects of international politics. Future research could extend this investigation by including a comparative analysis of Al Jazeera English and Arabic and considering the influence of media ownership patterns. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of how media outlets navigate reporting on contentious issues within the context of major global events. Keywords: Al Jazeera, Representation, Sportwashing, Critical Discourse Analysis, FIFA World Cup 2022, Qatar
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-69544 |
| Date | January 2024 |
| Creators | Hendel, Olga |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Institutionen för konst, kultur och kommunikation (K3) |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
| Relation | Studies in Arts and Communication, 1652-0343 |
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