Myth and Hegemony in Post-Sept. 11 News Coverage.

This paper seeks to explain catch phrases of questionable accuracy that were repeated verbatim in hundreds of print and broadcast reports in the months following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Using the theory that journalism plays a mythological role in American society, the authors suggest that these phrases fueled an idealized scenario in which a victimized nation responded heroically. The paper then broadens the news-as-myth theory to encompass hegemony theory. Viewed through this lens, the authors suggest that the narratives underpinning these phrases played an important role in framing subsequent events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]