A critical discourse analysis of media political bias on Marvel’s Sabra controversy

Imani, Aurelia Puti and Wahyudi, Ribut ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7124-1678 (2025) A critical discourse analysis of media political bias on Marvel’s Sabra controversy. Englisia: Journal of Language, Education, and Humanities, 12 (2). pp. 16-29. ISSN 2339-2576

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Abstract

Online news media often employ language manipulation to favor specific parties, potentially reflecting political bias, particularly in coverage of controversial issues. One such issue is Marvel’s Sabra, an Israeli Mossad superhero character, whose inclusion sparked controversy due to its association with the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre in Lebanon. This study investigates indications of political bias in media portrayals of the Sabra controversy. Data were sourced from six online news articles published by Al Jazeera and The Times of Israel between September and October 2022, addressing Marvel’s Sabra, alongside articles from the same period in prior years commemorating the 1982 massacre. The analysis utilized Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine ideological underpinnings through text structures and Political Discourse Analysis (PDA) to assess practical arguments. Findings revealed contrasting narratives: Al Jazeera opposed Sabra’s depiction, viewing it as propagandistic and linked to Israel’s alleged role in the massacre, while The Times of Israel supported the character, asserting Israel’s lack of direct responsibility for the event.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Keywords:	Controversy; Critical discourse analysis; Marvel Sabra; Political bias; Political discourse analysis
Subjects:	20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2001 Communication and Media Studies > 200104 Media Studies 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200401 Applied Linguistics and Educational Linguistics 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200403 Discourse and Pragmatics 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2004 Linguistics > 200405 Language in Culture and Society (Sociolinguistics) 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2002 Cultural Studies 20 LANGUAGE, COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE > 2003 Language Studies
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities > Department of English Language and Letters
Depositing User:	Ribut Wahyudi
Date Deposited:	07 May 2025 09:35

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