Book bans and the Science of Reading: Analyzing literacy education coverage on cable news (2022-2023)

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Abstract

This interdisciplinary study examines news coverage of literacy education given the recent surge in state laws affecting public schools. To map these discourses about literacy education, we analyzed cable news (FOXNews, CNN, and MSNBC) coverage from 2022 to 2023 to identify language patterns for bias, tone, and other qualities. Then, we conducted a multimodal analysis of people, talk, infographics, and additional footage. Findings indicate variations in framing by cable station, revealing how objectivity is enacted (or not) through talk, gestures, supplemental textual and visual information, and types of news stories. This project reveals how cable news informs and reflects public sentiments about literacy education and, in turn, how these attitudes shape political engagement, educational equity, and learning in public schools.

Authors

• Rachel Skrlac Lo, Villanova University

• Thomas Ksiazek, Villanova University

• Dusy Garcia, Villanova University

• Majo James, Villanova University

• Gabrielle Girault, Villanova University