The Ideologies of Politicians, Critics, and Protesters Through the Appraisal Framework in CNN Online News on Anti-Asian Discrimination During COVID-19

Abstract

              This mixed-methods research examined the ideologies of politicians, critics, and protesters as represented in CNN online news reporting on anti-Asian discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The dataset consisted of 35 CNN online news articles published between 2021 and 2023, yielding 3,091 evaluative tokens. Adjectives and adverbs were extracted using TagAnt as primary evaluative units and were manually coded according to the appraisal framework. Quantitative analysis was conducted to calculate frequency and percentage distributions of appraisal resources, followed by qualitative discourse analysis to interpret their ideological functions. An inter-rater reliability procedure was implemented to enhance coding consistency. The findings indicated that appreciation was the most frequently used attitudinal resource (47.49%), followed by judgment (44.42%), while affect was the least frequently used (8.09%). Engagement analysis showed a predominance of monoglossic strategies (70.53%), suggesting authoritative positioning in news discourse, while graduation resources were mainly realized through force (69.88%), intensifying representations of racism and social urgency. These patterns suggested that CNN predominantly evaluated anti-Asian discrimination through value-based and moral assessments rather than explicit emotional expression. Politicians were mainly represented through judgment and authoritative engagement, positioning them as institutional actors responsible for policy and governance. Critics were characterized by dialogically expansive engagement and critical judgment, foregrounding structural racism and accountability. Protesters were primarily associated with heightened affect and greater access to graduation resources, emphasizing emotional urgency, collective identity, and demands for social justice. Overall, the study demonstrated that CNN’s evaluative language systematically differentiated ideological roles, shaping public interpretations of anti-Asian discrimination as a moral, social, and political issue during the pandemic.